There's a whole universe out there
by WomanofMystery
Summary: An escaped X5 becomes one of the leaders of the Mall Rats and struggles to keep them safe when an unexpected foe appears.
1. Default Chapter

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There's a whole universe out there. 

****

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the tribe website. You guys are the best!

****

DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

  
  
I settle myself more comfortably on the grass and stare down the slight rise at the ruins of the evacuation camp. Everyone's running around screaming, not even thinking of trying to organise things. I feel kind of sorry for the little ones though, they probably don't even understand what's going on around them.   
I have to admit that I'm glad I'm not alone here. My twin brother Max obviously senses my thoughts because he wraps one arm around me. Liz is sat on Max's other side and my older brother Michael is glaring down at the camp from where he's leaning against a tree while my big sister Isabel is doing the same sat a few meters to my left. Our friends Alex, Maria and Kyle are sat huddled together just behind me.   
I wish Zack were here. He'd know what to do, after all he always has. We would have made him our leader no matter what we were told. Tinga was older than he was but even she always deferred to his judgement.   
Anyone who looked at me today would see a sixteen-year-old girl. I'm slim but not all that tall, I only come up to Max's chin. I have blue eyes and shoulder length light brown hair. They wouldn't see a soldier. They would probably laugh at the idea. I am one though or at least I was.   
I was born just an ordinary mutant or, to be scientific about it, I was born with mutated genes that give me the ability to do things that normal people can't. When Max and I, and our twin brothers Tobias and Anet, were still just babies a man called Colonel Lydecker took us to a place called Manticore. We don't know if our parents gave us up willingly or if we were stolen from them. After all these years I don't suppose it really matters either way.   
Most mutants spend their childhood as "normal" children then their powers kick in when they hit puberty. I feel sorry for them, having an ordinary life for a little while and then having it snatched away. The four of us were born with our gifts though. It's rare but it does happen. It's why we were taken to Manticore.   
They wanted to make us the perfect soldiers, us and the other children they took. They made us train everyday and they injected us full of chemicals to make us strong, to enhance our existing mutant abilities and even give us new ones. They injected us with animal DNA as well: cat to see in the dark and jump high: squirrel to climb well: wolf so we could work as a pack: fish so we could stay underwater for a long time and camel so we can go days without food or water.   
It was hard, torture. No one should have to go through something like that especially not toddlers and young children.   
We were supposed to be just a Unit: a group of soldiers working together, but we formed ourselves into a family and called each other brother and sister. When we first got to Manticore they tattooed a bar code on the back of our necks and we were only supposed to be known by the last three digits of our serial number. My number was 334697185641 so I was called X5-641.   
Once we decided that we were brothers and sisters we decided that we needed names as well. The other three and I remembered the names our parents had given us so we kept them. Some of the others remember theirs and the rest made up new ones.   
The boys were called: Frankie; Zack; Hunter; Jesse; Wallden; Tae; Cameroon; Brennan; Moran; Nicolas; Zane; Krit; Gabe; Kurt; Gerard; David; Connor; Jamie; Jack; Ska; Michael; Ziggy; Anet; Tobias and Max.   
The girls were called: Tinga; Grace; Jace; Emma; Brin; Joanna; Eva; Syl; Cat; Jondy; Maxie; Velvet; Heather; Isabel; Hope; Rachel; Cailet; Satin and Rhiannon.   
Manticore considered all shows of emotion, especially ones like love, to be a weakness. They were a flaw that we had to be trained to control. We have a physical flaw as well. A side effect of all the chemicals they pumped into us means that our brains now lack an amino acid so every so often we all suffer violent seizures. The convulsions get so bad that we could snap our spines. There's a medicine called Tryptophan, which stops the seizures from getting too bad, but the only cure is back at Manticore.   
Just after I turned seven Jack had a seizure in front of Lydecker and some of his soldiers. They took him away. We thought it was to treat him but Maxie went for a wander that night and saw them dissecting his body. I'll never forget the look in her eyes when she told us what she had seen.   
Maxie was the first to have a seizure after that. We were in our barracks but they must have been watching us because some soldiers came to take her away. Zack didn't want to lose anyone else so he fought back and killed the soldiers. Eva grabbed a gun from one of them and went first to make sure that the way was clear.   
Lydecker and some soldiers were waiting in the corridor. Lydecker shot Eva. He didn't even acknowledge who it was, just took aim and fired.   
We jumped through a window on the second floor and ran for it. We met up in a clearing in a forest about half a mile away and Zack divided us into pairs and sent us off in different directions so we could better avoid detection. He wouldn't let Anet; Max; Tobias and I go together because we share a telepathic link. That meant that if one twin in a pair got caught the other one would probably get grabbed trying to help them. Zack even made us all switch off the link so we wouldn't know where the other three were.   
I was paired with Ziggy; Anet with Rachel; Max with Michael and Tobias with Jamie. Tobias got recaptured at the edge of the forest. Jamie tried to help him but there were too many guards and he had to run for it. He caught up with Ziggy and me as we cleared the last fence.   
It was just the three of us for about six months although Zack kept an eye on us. Then Max tracked us down and he, Michael and Isabel turned up. Isabel had been paired with Cailet but they split up once they made it out and she ended up with the two boys. Once Max and I thought it was safe we re-opened our connection to Anet and he visited us as often as he could.   
Back at Manticore I thought that everything would be perfect once I made it Outside. Shows how stupid I was back then.  



	2. Tribe 2

****

There's a whole universe out there. 

****

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath, Zandera and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the official tribe website. You guys are the best!

****

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do a disclaimer in part one. My bad. Anything you recognise from one of the three shows is not mine and belongs to the creators of the respective programmes. All I can take credit for is the original characters and places.

****

DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

For almost ten years things seemed to be going really great. Manticore was easy to avoid on Solar, there's no police or law enforcement agency and the computer systems there are a joke so Lydecker had no real way of tracking us down. Then they got lucky. Jamie and I had decided to go ice-skating and Manticore agents were waiting for us when we left. We ran for it and would have made it but a stray shot caught me in the back of one leg, just above the knee. Jamie took me to a deserted warehouse and I used my powers to heal myself but that left me too tired to run much further.   
Jamie gave himself up. He let them catch him so they wouldn't bother searching the surrounding buildings for me.   
After that Zack decided that it was too dangerous for us all to stay on the same planet as Manticore. He ordered us all to split up again into different groups and scatter throughout the universe. The older X5's all agreed, paired up and left, at least that's what Zack told us. I can think of a few of my siblings who would have argued with him about it. I didn't want to leave, I had friends there, and I knew the place like the back of my hand. I sure as hell didn't want to go back to Manticore though so I did as I was told.   
In the end Michael, Isabel, Max and I were sent to Grayta. There was never any real chance of Anet coming with us. If the three of us were in one place for too long there was more chance of Manticore guessing who we were. Ziggy wasn't allowed to come either. I tried to talk Zack into changing his mind but he pointed out that since I'm white and Ziggy's black people might find it a little hard to believe that we're related. Anet and Ziggy saw us off at the space port then Zack sent them in different directions.   
Zack had rented us a small house on the edges of Grayta's main city and left us enough credits to get by on until he had the chance to come and see us again.   
The problems started about a week after we arrived here. Max met this girl -Liz- at school. Zack wanted us to go so we wouldn't stand out. It was love at first sight for my dear brother. So when Liz got hit by a transport speeder Max used his powers to heal her. After that he had to tell her that he was a mutant. But he didn't leave it at that. Oh no, he told her _everything._ Liz had to tell her best friends Maria and Alex the truth because they had seen her get hit by the speeder. Michael and Isabel wanted to run for it or kill them before they told anyone else. Kyle's dad was head of city police and he knew there was something weird about us so he started to poke about in our backgrounds to find out where we came from.   
From our perspective then, the Virus hitting was a good thing. No one knows where it came from or if they did know they kept it quiet. It sped up the ageing process so that even people in their early twenties died of the effects of 'old age.' There was panic in the city because, without knowing what caused the Virus, there was no way for the scientists to find a cure. They appealed for help from other planets but once it became obvious that the Virus was fatal no- one was allowed on or off the planet.   
It got worse and worse then they realised that people my age and younger weren't affected by it so they sent us off to different camps far away from each other out in the countryside. Teachers from country schools were sent to look after us on the basis that people from isolated areas were less likely to have come into contact with people affected with the Virus.   
That was six months ago now. The camp's been all right although having everyone crammed into the small buildings has been a bit too much like Manticore for my liking. The teachers are all dead. The Virus must be getting stronger to get into the atmosphere and kill people overnight. People miles away from other adults.   
"Do you think that all the adults on the planet are dead?" Maria asks suddenly.   
"I'm guessing so." Max answers her gently.   
"Where do we go now? We can't stay here." Isabel speaks up, still staring down at the ruins of the camp.   
"We could go back to the city. The government buildings are all there. Maybe the adults in them survived." Kyle suggests.   
Max nods and with that we leave. All of our things are down in the camp but none of us make any move to go back for them. My siblings and I were always taught the benefits of travelling light and the others are too scared of the other kids.


	3. Tribe 3

****

There's a whole universe out there. 

****

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath, Zandera and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the official tribe website. You guys are the best!

****

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do a disclaimer in part one. My bad. Anything you recognise from one of the three shows is not mine and belongs to the creators of the respective programmes. All I can take credit for is the original characters and places.

****

DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

It takes us a week to walk back to the city. If it had just been my siblings and I it would only have taken a day or two but the others have to keep stopping to rest or eat.   
The city's a mess. Rubbish everywhere on the streets, drawings and slogans over all the buildings, abandoned speeders lie everywhere, some gutted by fire. There are screams and shouts coming from all directions even though we're sticking to the side streets. An engine sounds and we all back deeper into the shadows. A battered sports speeder shoots past. I get a brief glimpse of a slim black girl with her long hair in braids stood up in the speeder surrounded by teenagers dressed in brightly coloured leather clothes with vivid symbols painted on their faces.   
Liz and Maria are clutching each other and Maria looks to be on the verge of tears. I'm not surprised. The two of them have lived in the city their whole lives; it must be a shock to see what it's been reduced to. The screams are getting closer and louder.   
"It'll be dark soon. We should find some shelter." Alex says, glancing at the two girls.   
"Where can we go that's safe?" Liz asks.   
"The shopping Mall. It's huge so there'll be lots of places for us to hide if anyone else shows up." Kyle speaks up.   
"We can't use the main entrance. If there's someone already there they'll be waiting for us." Isabel points out.   
"We'll go around the back. There's bound to be a fire escape or a staff entrance." Max tells her calmly.   
We make our way through more side streets and alleyways until we come out around the back of the Mall. There are no windows on this side and we all stare up at the flat concrete surface. Liz and Maria are both yawning and Alex is blinking owlishly.   
"There's a manhole by here." Michael calls across quietly after searching through the long grass for a few moments.   
He pulls the cover up and pushes it to one side, revealing a metal ladder going down into the dark. Michael grins at us all then swings around and starts to climb down before any of us can stop him. He's only gone for a short while and he's grinning broadly when he reappears.   
"We're in luck. There's steps leading up, looks like they come out in the main Mall." He reports.   
"Alright. Everyone move." Max orders curtly.   
He's the last down and he pulls the cover back after himself. We're in the sewers. The air is musty but it doesn't smell, probably because it's been so long since the sewers were last actually used. I expected it to be pitch black down here since we're underground but it's merely dim. Other tunnels run everywhere and Michael leads the way through them towards the smell of fresh air.   
The steps come out at a pair of large green wooden doors to one side of the ground floor. We push them shut behind us and walk along the rows of shops until we turn the corner into the main Mall.   
There's a dried up fountain with a low wall around it in the centre. It's a stature of a phoenix rising from the flames with the water supposed to come from its mouth. Not far away on the other side of the fountain are two sets of stairs. They go halfway up then meet at a landing and continue up as one staircase to join walkways leading around the upper Mall. Gathered at the top of the staircase are several teenagers who don't look happy to see us.   
"Uh oh." Maria mutters and Michael glares at her.   
"Who are you and what do you want?" Demands a girl dressed in black leather hipsters and a matching vest top with her blond hair in Zulu knots.

"We need a place to stay for the night." Max answers calmly.   
"You'll have to find another place. This one's full." A young man with light brown skin and long black hair says flatly.   
"You guys are using every room in this whole place? I find that hard to believe." Michael sneers.   
"We don't need anyone else here. Get lost!" The young man orders.   
"Maybe we should go. There's lots of other buildings." Liz says quietly.   
"This is the only one that looked safe, that's why we picked it." Isabel snaps at her and Liz flushes.   
"Just pick a room and go to sleep." Michael tells us all.   
"You're not staying!" The young man shouts.   
"Watch us." Michael snorts.   
He calmly walks forward and up the stairs. The rest of us exchange quick glances then follow him. The young man tries to stand his ground but in the end he has no choice but to move to one side.   
"Most of the shops down that way are empty. There's no beds left but there's lots of blankets in the Bedding Store shop." A young woman with bright red hair says nervously, pointing down one aisle of shops.   
"I'll get the blankets. You guys go and get settled in." Alex offers with a shrug.   
Michael and Isabel walk silently off in the direction indicated. Kyle gives the other teenagers a small wave of acknowledgement before following them.   
"We really haven't got anywhere else to go. We won't cause any trouble." Liz blurts out suddenly.   
"Come on Lex, let them stay!" A pretty girl with her hair dyed pink and blue speaks up.   
The young man- who I'm guessing is Lex -rolls his eyes but waves one hand in a gesture indicating that we can stay.   
I can't be bothered searching for a room I like so I go into the first shop I pass. It's a fairly large bookshop. There's one room lined with full bookcases with tables covered in displays of books in the centre. There are three wide steps at one side leading into another room that's filled with the same things. I'm about to look for somewhere on the floor to lie down when I notice a door in the back wall of the second room. It's locked but I open it in a second with my powers. The room's about the size of a normal bedroom and completely empty. There's isn't even anything on the walls.   
"Rhiannon, are you in there? I've brought you some blankets." Alex calls from outside.   
I go back out to the main entrance of the shop where Alex is waiting with one of his big grins and an armful of blankets and pillows.   
"Where are the others sleeping?" I ask him.   
"Maria's in the aromatherapy shop; Liz is in a science shop; Kyle's in the sports shop; Michael's in the record shop; I'm in the music shop; Isabel's in the make-up shop and Max is in one of the clothes shop for men." Alex ticks it off on his fingers.   
"I'll see you in the morning then. Sleep well babe." I smile at him   
Alex smiles back then walks off. I go back into the empty room, arrange the blankets and pillows on the floor, take off my boots and coat and settle down to sleep.   
A baby crying wakes me up the next morning. I frown as I sit up. I don't remember seeing a baby when we arrived. I leave my boots where they are and make my way quietly through the Upper Mall until I reach the shop the crying is coming from. The sign above the door says Home Design. Thin silk hangings cover the doorway and the inside of the large plate glass window. I push the silk hanging in the doorway slightly to one side and look inside. There's a baby in a large basket on the floor that's been turned into a crib. The baby's screaming but there's no response from the person in the bed next to the crib. It's a girl the same age as me with her hair dyed dark purple. She looks awful, her skin is pale and clammy looking and there are dark circles under her eyes. Her hair looks like it hasn't been washed or brushed in days and she's wearing what appears to be a shapeless brown dress. I hear footsteps and turn away from the doorway as the girl with Zulu knots walks up beside me.   
"The baby's screaming but the girl isn't doing anything. There's no way she's still asleep." I tell her quietly.   
The girl sighs then sets her mouth grimly and marches into the room. I follow her silently. She shakes the girl in the bed.   
"Trudy? Trudy, Brady's crying, can't you hear her? Trudy wake up, Brady needs you! Trudy!" She says, her voice increasing in volume.   
I step across to the crib and gently pick up the crying baby. She snuggles against me, warm and soft.   
"She's not wet and she doesn't smell so I don't think she needs changing. Maybe she's hungry." I suggest.   
The blond girl starts searching the room then turns back to Trudy with a frown.   
"Where's the baby formula?" She asks.   
"It ran out yesterday." Trudy replies in a monotone.   
"Why didn't you tell us so someone could go out and get some more?" The blond girl demands angrily.   
"It didn't seem important." Trudy answers in the same toneless voice.   
"I'm taking Brady now. She'll be with me or Salene when you feel like collecting her." The blond girl says curtly.   
With that she turns and strides out of the room. I stare at Trudy for a second then, when she doesn't acknowledge me; I follow the other girl.

There's an area at the top of the stairs full of tables and chairs next to an arched doorway leading to a small enclosed kitchen and then more tables and chairs. The blond girl is sat at a table at the top of the stairs. I carefully sit down beside her then adjust my hold on Brady. "I'm Amber and that's Brady." The girl smiles at me.   
"I'm Rhiannon." I smile back.   
"Poor little thing." Amber sighs, touching the top of Brady's head.   
"What's the story with that Trudy girl?" I ask, jerking my head back towards the Home Design shop.   
"No-one really knows. She was about three months pregnant when the virus hit so she had time to get an abortion if she wanted one. She gave birth just over a week ago and for the first day or so she seemed to be delighted with the whole thing. Something obviously happened then because she's been like this ever since." Amber answers with a frown.   
"Weird." I agree with her puzzlement.   
"Bray!" Amber calls suddenly, making me jump.   
A tall handsome young man with dark brown hair is coming out of one of the shops on the other side of the Upper Mall. He waves to her then comes across to join us.   
"The baby formula has run out. Can you get some more?" Amber asks him.   
"Yeah sure, I'll go now. Hey, I'm Bray." He introduces himself.   
"Rhiannon. Bray? Any relation to Brady?" I ask with a smirk.   
"No. Trudy and I have known each other for years. I found her when I came back to the city after the Virus so I've been looking after her and the baby. She picked the name Brady to recognise that." Bray explains with a smile of his own.   
"I'd better get breakfast ready. I'll see you when you get back." Amber tells him. Bray smiles and nods. He goes down the stairs while Amber goes into the kitchen, leaving me to hold the baby.   
"Hey Brady. How are you?" I venture after a moment. Brady gurgles and claps her hands.   
"Let me guess, Trudy's still in bed?" A voice asks. I look up to see the young woman with bright red hair walking towards me.   
"Yep. Amber says that she's always like this." I agree.   
"I'm Salene." The young woman tells me.   
"Rhiannon." I inform her. Brady holds out her hands to Salene and I'm actually sorry to hand her over.   
The others all start stirring and coming out of their rooms at this point so I go back to the bookshop to get my boots. Amber is putting out bowls of cereal when I get back and I sit down next to Salene.   
"So what are you guys all called?" The girl with pink and blue hair asks.   
"I'm Max; this is my twin sister Rhiannon; our older brother and sister Michael and Isabel and our friends Liz; Maria; Alex and Kyle." Max introduces us.   
"I'm Zandra, this is Lex; Dal; Jack; Salene; Jem; Patsy; Cloe; Ryan; Amber and the baby's called Brady. Her mother's called Trudy but I guess she isn't awake yet." The girl tells us.   
Lex is the young man who tried to stop us from staying last night; Dal is a short boy with dark skin and short black hair; Jack is a skinny boy with bright red hair; Jem is a small girl with light brown skin and chin length black hair; Cloe is a small black girl with shoulder length black hair; Patsy is a small girl with long light brown hair and Ryan is a big guy with cropped hair.   
"Where's Bray?" Patsy asks, looking around at everyone.   
"The baby formula ran out so he went to get some more." Amber tells her.   
"What's the name of your tribe?" Jack asks after a few moments.   
"Tribe?" Max asks with a frown.   
"All the city kids formed themselves into groups, tribes, when they came back to the city." Amber explains.   
"We only got back to the city yesterday evening. The adults in the camp all died a week ago." Liz tells them all.   
"A week? They must have been the last to go then. All the adults in the city died months ago." Salene speaks up.   
"There's no survivors anywhere?" Maria asks in disbelief. Salene shakes her head sadly.   
"We only moved here from Solar a few weeks before the Virus hit. Great timing, huh." Michael remarks with a sneer.   
"What was it like there?" Jack asks.   
"It was great. The whole planet was one big city. You should see some of the shops." Isabel replies then falls silent as she realises that since there's no way off this planet none of us are likely to go shopping on Solar anytime soon.   
Footsteps downstairs make us all look up.   
"Is it Bray?" Salene asks.   
"He's back quickly if it is." Amber says quietly.   
The older ones among us tense and Lex grabs a knife from the kitchen.

The review button is there for a reason guys. Feel free to use it. ;)


	4. Tribe 4

****

There's a whole universe out there. 

****

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath, Zandera and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the official tribe website. You guys are the best!

****

KIMIKO KAMA: Glad you like it. J You're right, I should have spilt it into three or four parts. I wanted to get that part out of the way so I could introduce the Mall Rats.

****

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do a disclaimer in part one. My bad. Anything you recognise from one of the three shows is not mine and belongs to the creators of the respective programmes. All I can take credit for is the original characters and places.

****

DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

"I'm back!" Bray calls up from the Lower Mall and there's a general air of relief as we all move to meet him.   
He's laden down with two large bags and a cardboard box, which he places on two tables.   
"Did you get anything nice?" Jem asks eagerly.   
"I got about a dozen tins of baby formula as well as bandages and any medicine that looked useful. That's all in the cardboard box. The bags are full of food." Bray smiles down at her.   
Salene takes a tin of formula and goes into the kitchen to feed Brady. Lex and Ryan start rummaging through the bags and tucking bits of food away in their clothes. The three little ones all start grabbing at things too and some of the others start squabbling over items.   
"Enough!" Amber shouts suddenly, banging one hand on a tabletop.   
"What's up with you?" Lex asks sneeringly.   
"We need to share things, we need to ration them or we'll run out within days." Amber tells everyone in her normal tone.   
"There's no way that I'm letting anyone, especially you, tell me what to do." Lex says challengingly.   
Jack, Ryan, Michael and Kyle all nod slightly in agreement. The others are starting to look nervous as they glance between Lex and Amber.   
"We need to keep structure here or everything is just going to fall apart." Amber says firmly.   
"Everything has _already_ fallen apart! What difference will rationing the food make?" Lex sneers at her.   
Amber swallows as everyone stares at the two of them. I meet her eyes and feel like I should help her.   
"Does anyone here want to go back outside and find another tribe to join?" I ask. Everyone turns to look at me.   
"No, of course not." Zandra answers after looking around at the others.   
"Good. In that case, we all need to work together. Amber's right, we do need to ration the food. There's no-one left to make more thanks to the virus so once what we have is gone then it's gone. If we eat it all today then we starve tomorrow." I say it all very calmly.   
"Rhiannon's right. Supplies will get harder and harder to find as more kids come back to the city." Bray speaks up quickly before Lex can say anything.   
The others slowly start to put the food back. Amber smiles across at me.   
"Who are your friends?" Bray asks me as I help him pack away some tins of food.   
"My twin brother Max, my friends Liz; Maria; Kyle and Alex and my older brother and sister Isabel and Michael. Guys, this is Bray." I introduce him to everyone. Bray nods at them all.   
"How's Trudy?" He asks Amber.   
"She hasn't got out of bed yet." She answers.   
"I should probably go and check up on her." Bray sighs. He looks worried and I feel sorry for him.   
"You do that. A visit from loverboy is probably just what she needs to cheer her up." Lex tells him sweetly.   
Bray glares at him but doesn't bother to respond before walking off towards Trudy's room.   
"Zandra, Liz and Rhiannon, can you help me to put the food away. Dal, can you keep the little ones occupied for me? Lex, Ryan and Kyle, can you go and stand guard around the Mall. The last thing we need right now is for another tribe to decide that this place would make a good base." Amber orders everyone. Despite his earlier arguments Lex leaves without protest along with the other two.   
"I'm going to go back outside and see if any shops nearby still have beds in them." Max says as the others start to scatter.   
"No need. There's a storeroom at the back of the shop the little ones and I are sharing. The beds are still in their boxes but they come with all the bits included so it shouldn't take you long to put them together." Salene tells him from the doorway to the kitchen.   
Max nods then heads off for the room the little ones can be heard playing in with Alex just behind him.   
"How are you guys going to decorate your rooms?" Zandra asks Liz and I.   
"Where can we get things to decorate them with?" Liz asks shyly.   
"The other shops of course! If no-one's using them then you can take whatever you want from them." Zandra informs her.   
"What shop have you got?" I ask her.   
"The lingerie shop. I look great in all that stuff." Zandra smirks.   
Salene rolls her eyes and mutter something under her breath. Amber obviously overhears her because she has trouble keeping a straight face.   
"It looks like that's everything put away. I guess we should start on our rooms." Liz says after another minute or so.   
I nod and we all split up.   
Max has left the box containing a bed in my new bedroom. I empty the parts onto the floor; check quickly to make sure no one is watching then wave one hand over the parts and watch as they join flawlessly together.   
Just as they finish Max and Michael appear with a mattress and bedclothes which they put on the bed for me. Michael drops me a mocking bow once they're finished. Max gives me a small smile then follows Michael from the room.   
I smooth down the bedclothes then leave to start searching the deserted shops for things for my room.   
"What are you up to?" Salene asks as I pass through the food court. She's sat at a table with Brady on her knee.   
"Looking for things to decorate my room with." I answer with a smile, bending down to stroke the baby's cheek.   
"I'd like my own room but I can't really leave the little ones right now." Salene says wistfully before turning her attention back to the baby.   
"Where is she?!" An outraged scream comes from Trudy's room.

Salene and I exchange startled glances then Salene moves to stand beside me. Trudy comes storming out of her room and up the walkway until she's stood just in front of us.   
"Give her back to me! You had no right to take her!" She shouts at Salene.   
"We were just trying to help!" Salene defends herself.   
"_I'm_ her mother and I can look after her just fine by myself!" Trudy snaps.   
"So we saw this morning." I mutter. Trudy turns her attention to me for the first time.   
"Who are you?" She demands.   
"Rhiannon. My friends and I arrived last night." I answer politely.   
"Give her back to me!" Trudy turns to glare at Salene again. Salene hesitates for a moment then steps forward and hands over the baby.   
"Come near her again and I'll make you wish you were never born." Trudy threatens us both before turning and storming back to her room.   
"The girl is a complete loon." I say in amazement once she's disappeared from sight.   
"If she's worried about Brady maybe it means she'll start taking care of her again." Salene ventures.   
I'm sceptical about that but Salene looks so hopeful that I don't have the heart to discourage her. I nod and smile slightly before going downstairs to look in the shops.   
The first one to catch my eye has a large multi-coloured picture of a teddy bear painted on its window. I go to the door and look inside. It's a toyshop. Some of the shelves are empty so I guess the little ones have already been here. I've never had any toys before. At Manticore things like that would have been scorned as a weakness and after the escape we were too old to bother about that kind of thing. I pick up a large teddy bear with fluffy golden fur and a purple bow around its neck. I bit my lip then tuck it under my arm and leave the shop.   
I'm not hungry so I skip lunch as I search the other shops that appeal to me. I stand in the bookshop that evening and look around myself proudly.   
Brightly coloured rugs cover the floors of all three rooms. I've moved all the tables and displays to the sides of the rooms so that they're up against the bookcases. I've cleared one of the small display tables of books and placed it in the centre of the first room. I've put a thin sheet of red and gold patterned silk over the table and arranged ornaments I like on top of it. There are piles of cushions of all shapes, sizes and colours in the corners of both main rooms. Candles of varying shapes and colours are placed on every available surface and I've used my powers to attach windchimes to the ceilings of all three rooms. I wander through to my bedroom and straighten the pillow on my bed idly. There's a chest of drawers beside the bed, the top of which can act as a bedside table. Up against the opposite wall is a dressing table with a large arched mirror attached to it, on top of the table are all the perfumes and make-up products that I like the look of. There's a rocking chair with a padded back and seat placed next to the dressing table and the teddy bear is sitting on the bed.   
"It looks good." Says a voice from behind me and I turn to see Lex leaning against the doorframe.   
"Thank you. What do you want?" I ask flatly.   
"No need to be like that, I'm just trying to be friendly." Lex protests in an injured tone.   
He walks over and circles me, one hand trailing across my lower back as he does so. I push him away, hard, and he almost falls over before he catches his balance.   
"You have got to be joking if you think I'm going to let you get anywhere with me." I snort, crossing my arms.   
"Think of it as my way of welcoming you to the tribe." Lex shrugs.   
"I think I'd rather have a fruit basket, at least I stand a chance of enjoying _that."_ I tell him icily.   
Lex starts to step closer to me then I raise one fist and he changes his mind.   
"You'll never know what you're missing out on." He tells me as he starts to leave the room.   
"I think I can guess." I call after him sweetly.


	5. Tribe 5

****

There's a whole universe out there. 

****

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath, Zandera and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the official tribe website. You guys are the best!

****

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do a disclaimer in part one. My bad. Anything you recognise from one of the three shows is not mine and belongs to the creators of the respective programmes. All I can take credit for is the original characters and places.

****

DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

I roll my eyes as I scan my room one last time. What a loser. I wander out to the Food Court to find the others sitting down to dinner. I sit down next to Amber and Salene passes me a plate of beans on toast.

"So how long have you and Lex been going out?" I look up at Maria's question.   
"We've been on and off since just before the Virus first hit." Zandra answers her.   
I narrow my eyes as I look across at Lex, who's sitting next to Zandra; he smirks as he looks back at me. I shake my head slightly and turn back to talk to Amber.   
"Let me guess, he hit on you." She says scornfully, rolling her eyes as she watches Lex and Zandra.   
"Said it was his way of welcoming me to the tribe." I inform her with a grin.   
"The guy is so full of himself it's unbelievable!" Amber exclaims.   
"What are you girls doing after dinner?" Isabel asks suddenly.   
"Not a lot. Why?" Maria asks, looking up from her meal.   
"I think we should gather up all the clothes from the shops and decide which ones we want. We can trade the rest." Isabel suggests.   
"That's a good idea. I could do with some new things." Zandra nods, clapping her hands.   
Once everyone's finished eating Salene leaves the little ones to clear away the dishes and the rest of the girls and I start to search the clothes shops. We pile all of the clothes on the floor by the fountain.   
"Dive right in ladies!" Isabel announces grandly.   
We all laugh and start searching through the clothes.   
"Look Rhiannon, this dress is just like that one you had back on Solar!" Isabel cries suddenly, holding up a long red dress.   
"That dress was my favourite! I had it for ages." I agree, staring at the dress in surprise.   
"Why didn't you bring it with you?" Isabel asks, tossing me the dress.   
"Figured I'd lose it on the way here. Gave it to Shelby as a goodbye present, she always liked it." I answer.   
By the end of the evening we've all collected armfuls of clothes and the only things left in the pile are a few things that are too small for any of us.   
We all say our goodnights and head to our different rooms. Tonight has been good. I haven't really spent time in the company of other girls except Isabel or Shelby since the escape from Manticore. Liz and Maria are my friends but ever since Max healed Liz things have been so tense for us all that we haven't really had time to worry about fashion. It was fun to be able to relax and not worry about anything outside the Mall.   
I change into one of my new night-dresses and settle down to sleep.   
Just like yesterday morning I'm woken up by the sound of Brady crying. This time though she stops before I have to get out of bed. I lie there dozing until the sound of movement tells me that the others are up.   
I change into a pair of dark purple velvet trousers, red boot and a dark red top with a black zigzag down the middle. On an impulse I go around the Food Court and over to Trudy's room. I push the silk hanging very slightly to one side and peer through the gap. Trudy is sat on the bed with Brady on her lap and is feeding her from a bottle. I knock on the doorframe and she looks up.   
"Hi. It's...Rhiannon, right?" She asks with a small smile.   
"Yeah. I just thought I'd come and see how the two of you were doing." I smile back a little warily.   
"We're fine. I'm just giving Brady her breakfast." Trudy says, gazing down at her daughter.   
"She's a beautiful baby. "I venture.   
"She takes after her father. She has his colouring and his eyes." Trudy smiles as she says it but there's something strange in her eyes.   
"Aren't you coming to breakfast?" I ask after a moment.   
"No, I'm not really hungry." Trudy shrugs.   
"Okay then. Maybe, um, maybe I'll see the two of you later." I say unsurely.   
Trudy looks up and smiles at me again then turns back to the baby. I look at the two of them for another second or two then turn and go back along the walkway to the Food Court, trying to shake the feeling that something was wrong with Trudy.   
"Is Trudy all right?" Salene asks. Bray looks up in concern.   
"She seems to be. She's feeding Brady. It looks as if you were right about her wanting to take care of the baby again." I smile at Salene then across at Bray.   
"That's hard to believe." Lex mutters. I can't shake the fact that I agree with him.

"I love your trousers." Zandra says suddenly, leaning across to me.   
"Thanks. Your skirt's nice too." I reply, taken slightly by surprise by the compliment.   
"You and your friends need make-overs. You're dressed like members of the tribe now but you need to do something about your hair and make-up." Zandra answers.   
"What kind of make-over are we talking about?" Maria asks, Liz and Isabel both look interested too.   
"I don't know really. Just…. something to show that you're in a tribe. I'm sure something will come to mind." Zandra shrugs.   
"When do you want to do it?" I ask as I start to warm to the idea.   
"No time like the present if everyone's finished eating." Zandra says brightly, rising to her feet.   
I shrug and follow her to her room. I can hear the other three girls following me. Zandra's room is bright and colourful. The walls are covered in leopard print paint. There's a dressing table against one wall with a large mirror above it in a pink, arched frame. The bed is just a mattress in one corner. There are fashion pictures from magazines all over the walls and make-up products, clothes and jewellery are scattered everywhere.   
"You'd look better with dark hair." Zandra tells me, steering me across to sit in front of the mirror.   
"I've never dyed my hair before. Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask with a frown.   
"It'll be fine. I'm good at things like this." Zandra says, proudly, starting to brush my hair.   
I raise my eyebrows but let her carry on. In actual fact, dying my hair would make me look a lot different and make it easier for me to go unnoticed by Manticore.   
By lunchtime I have a completely different look. Zandra's cut my hair to midway between my chin and my shoulders and styled it into a layered fashion. She's also coloured it using something called 'Midnight Shades'; it changes colour from black to dark blue as I move my head. I have black lipstick, dark red eyeshadow and a spiral drawn in gold on one cheek.   
Isabel refused to let Zandra dye her hair but she's had it styled so that it's in ringlets. She has bright red lipstick, dark pink eyeshadow and a pattern of interlocking shapes drawn on her forehead.   
Maria's hair has been dyed light blue and her make-up is all blue: lipstick, eyeshadow and two small diamonds on either side of her eyes.   
Liz has had her hair styled so that it's layered around her face. Her lipstick and eyeshadow are both pale and blend in with her skin tones. The only thing that stands out is a Celtic knot drawn in dark red on one temple.   
"You all look amazing!" Zandra exclaims, clapping her hands together as she surveys the four of us.   
"I feel kind of stupid." Isabel admits as she looks in the mirror.   
"You look fine." Liz assures her.   
Maria claps her hands in excitement and bounces her way out of the room. The rest of us look at each other and laugh before following her.   
I sit down at a table with Salene and Amber as lunch is served.   
"You look really nice." Salene tells me and Amber nods in agreement. I smile my thanks at the two of them.   
"Where's Trudy?" Liz asks from the next table.   
"She hasn't come out of her room all day." Patsy answers her.   
Lex gives a snort of laughter and shakes his head in disgust as he turns back to his meal. Amber glares at him but doesn't say anything.   
"Salene and I are going to draw up a rota. Everyone will have a chore to do each day." She speaks up when everyone has finished eating.   
"Are you serious?" Lex scoffs, starting to get up from his seat.   
"It's the only way that we're going to be able to keep this place tidy." Salene quickly supports Amber.   
"Who cares about how tidy this place is?" Lex shrugs as he leaves the Food Court.   
"I think that it's a good idea." Zandra says after a moment.   
"Yeah, me too. Do you guys need a hand?" Liz asks Salene and Amber.   
"No thanks, the two of us can manage it." Salene smiles at her.   
The rest of us scatter around the Mall after that, leaving Salene and the little ones to tidy the lunch things away. I'm tempted to go and look in on Trudy and Brady again but I don't want to disturb them if they're happy together.

The next week or so passes without anything much happening. Salene and Amber put their completed rota up and we all do our appointed chores. Even Trudy. I don't actually see her as she stays in her room with Brady for most of the time but her tasks are all carried out.   
One morning I'm woken up by Brady crying for the third time since arriving at the Mall. This time she carries on crying for ages and I get out of bed to go and see to her. I get to the entrance of the bookshop in time to see Salene come out of Trudy's room, carrying Brady. I shrug and go back into my room. Trudy must still be asleep.   
I get dressed then pick a book from the shelves and read for a while until raised voices get my attention. Amber, Bray and Salene are arguing in the kitchen and most of the others have gathered to watch.   
"What's going on?" I ask Zandra as I join the crowd.   
"Amber came into the kitchen and found Salene making breakfast even though Trudy's down to do it. Turns out Trudy hasn't done a single one of her chores. Liz and Salene have been doing them because they feel sorry for her. Bray, Amber and Salene are arguing over what to do about it." Zandra explains quietly.   
"I say we throw her out." Isabel speaks up suddenly and we all turn to look at her.   
"You can't throw a mother and her baby out onto the streets! Brady wouldn't survive!" Salene protests at once.   
"Brady's no real trouble, she can stay here. I'm only talking about getting rid of Trudy." Isabel tells her calmly.   
There's silence as we look at each other and try to figure out what everyone's thinking. Salene and Bray are shaking their heads but the others look thoughtful.   
"Bray, is this normal behaviour for Trudy?" I ask.   
"No. I've known her for years and she's never been like this before. If she was acting like normal then she'd be more than happy to help out." He answers firmly.   
"You said that she was fine until a few days after she gave birth Amber. It could be a form of post-natal depression." I suggest.   
"If she's behaving this way because she's ill then we can't possibly punish her for it." Salene takes up the argument.   
"Who cares why she's acting the way that she is? She's using our supplies and isn't giving anything back. We can't afford to carry on like this." Michael interjects.   
"Someone should talk to her, tell her what's happening." Liz says quietly. There's a pause then everyone turns to look at me.   
"Why me?!" I demand.   
"She doesn't know you well so she's less likely to take it personally coming from you." Amber reasons.   
"She doesn't know Liz or Maria." I point out.   
"But she knows that you've been helping to look after Brady. She'll trust you." Bray smiles at me.   
"What should I say to her?" I ask with a sigh of defeat.   
"Tell her that we're giving her a second chance but if she doesn't start pulling her weight soon then she'll have to leave." Amber instructs me.   
I nod and walk down to Trudy's room. I know on the doorframe but when there's no answer I go in anyway. Trudy is lying in bed staring blankly up at the ceiling. I pull a chair over to the side of the bed and sit down.   
"Trudy?" I say, reaching out to touch her arm. She turns her head to look at me but makes no reply. "My name's Rhiannon, we've only actually met the once. The others are worried about you and wanted me to speak to you. They thought that you were less likely to take what I say personally since you don't know me. Um. It's about the rota that Amber and Salene wrote out last week. Everyone has a chore to do each day. Everyone thought that you were doing your chores but we found out this morning that Liz and Salene have been doing them for you. We can't go on like this Trudy. We can't have someone staying here; eating our supplies and not giving anything back in return. This is your second chance, OK? If you don't start pulling your weight soon then you'll have to leave the Mall." I inform her quietly.   
"You can't throw us out! Brady will never make it!" Trudy protests, sitting up in her bed.   
"Brady's…Brady will stay here with us. You'll be the only one leaving." I say uncomfortably.   
"You won't let me keep her? But I'm her mother!" Trudy cries.   
"I haven't seen much sign of you acting that way since I've been here. I thought you were looking after her and that's why you never left your room but now I'm guessing that you've just been lying in bed and Salene's been keeping an eye on Brady." I give a sigh of disgust when Trudy blushes, proving me right.   
"You don't understand how hard it is-" She starts to defend herself but I cut her off.   
"Everyone knows it's hard to be a parent! If you didn't want to be in this situation then you should have thought about using protection before you started having sex!" I snap at her.   
"What gives you the right to sit there and pass judgement on me? You don't know anything about me!" Trudy shouts, clambering to her feet.   
"I know enough! I know that you're a selfish, ungrateful little girl who dumps her child on other people then has the nerve to yell at them when they actually try to look after the baby! You do nothing for anyone except yourself and you don't even think about how your behaviour affects the rest of us! You make me sick!" I shout back, rising to face her.   
"I make you sick?! Who do you think you are? You are nothing! You are just a jumped-up little tart who's trying to worm her way into the tribe! Standing there on your moral high ground preaching to me about my own daughter! You're a joke!" Trudy yells.   
"I'm a joke? Try looking in the mirror! Look, I'm going before I say something I might actually regret. I was trying to help you, to be nice, I don't know why I wasted my time!" I explode at her before storming out of the room.   
I march down the walkway to the Food Court and throw myself into the nearest chair where I start kicking moodily at a table leg.   
"She took it well then?" Maria asks dryly.   
"She's a stupid ungrateful little cow! Throw her out whenever the hell you want, I wash my hands of the whole situation!" I snap then go back to kicking the table leg.   
"Oh well, at least you tried." Salene sighs, sitting next to me and putting one arm around me.   
The little ones are obviously subdued by all of the arguing because they put out all of the breakfast things in silence.   
"Might as well start packing up her things." Lex comments.   
Bray sighs as he pokes at his food and I reach across to put my hand over his. He looks at me, surprised at the contact.   
"We'll sort something out. We won't make her leave while she's still unwell." I try to soothe him.   
He nods at me then turns back to his food looking slightly happier.   
"Very touching. The girl will be out by the end of the week." Lex says flatly. I pull a face at him and he blows me a kiss.   
"Lex is right. She's not going to suddenly change and start helping out." Zandra says from where she's sat next to Amber.   
The fact that everybody agrees with her is obvious as those who don't actually nod their heads stay silent and don't look at Bray. The rest of the meal passes in silence, no one wanting to cause any more trouble by saying something that one of the others might disagree with.   
By early afternoon I'm starting to feel a little guilty about what I said to Trudy. She might not be the nicest person I've ever met but I knew that she was unwell and now I've probably made things worse by shouting at her. Part of me wants to go and say sorry to her but the rest of me is still angry with her for reacting the way that she did. I'll wait and talk to her tomorrow, if I see her again today the two of us will just get into another fight.   
I don't really feel like doing anything today so I spend most of the afternoon hanging around the Food Court and watching Lex beat Alex in games of poker. Alex might have been a computer whiz before the Virus struck but he knows nothing about cards. In this case, however, that might be because Isabel is also watching them and Alex is having trouble keeping his attention on the cards and not on my sister.   
In the evening Salene talks me into helping her to put the little ones to bed. I even have to read them a bedtime story. I've never had much to do with kids before but these three are quite sweet. Jem's afraid of the dark so she clings to my hand while I help Salene to tuck them in.   
Most of the others have also headed to bed by the time I'm finished so I read for a while before going to bed.   
The next morning I'm woken yet again by Brady crying. I give a sigh of frustration, as Trudy doesn't quiet her. Looks like she's decided to leave. I get to the entrance of my shop but see Salene going into Trudy's room so I shrug and start to head back to bed.   
I have only gone a few steps when Salene starts to scream.

Remember, the review button is there for a reason. ;)


	6. Tribe 6

****

There's a whole universe out there. 

****

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath, Zandera and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the official tribe website. You guys are the best!

****

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do a disclaimer in part one. My bad. Anything you recognise from one of the three shows is not mine and belongs to the creators of the respective programmes. All I can take credit for is the original characters and places.

****

DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

I whirl around and race across to Trudy's room, aware that, from the edges of my vision; I can see some of the others following my example.   
Salene is staring down at where Trudy is lying in bed with her eyes closed. I'm about to ask what's happened when I see the empty pill bottle next to Trudy's hand. I snatch it up. Painkillers. Amber, Bray, Liz and Max arrive with everyone else starting to stir.   
"What's happened?" Bray demands urgently. I hand him the pill bottle and he pales.   
"Is she still alive?" Amber asks. I can't believe that I haven't even thought of checking this.   
I put one hand to Trudy's throat and after a moment I feel a weak beat there. I nod to Amber and she sighs in relief.   
"We have to get her to wake up." Salene says quietly.   
Max moves to Trudy's side and signals with his eyes for me to stop the others from seeing what he's doing.   
"Salene, Liz, take Brady to the Food Court. I don't think that any of us wants her to be here right now." I instruct, at the same time moving position so that I'm blocking Amber and Bray's view of Max.   
Liz shoots me a glance that says she knows what's going on and quickly urges Salene from the room.   
"I've counteracted the effects the pills had on her brain." Max tells me silently as he gets back to his feet.   
"Well?" Bray demands at once.   
"She doesn't appear to have gone into a coma so if we get her on her feet she should wake up." Max answers him.   
Between them they get Trudy out of bed and begin walking up and down the room, half-dragging Trudy between them. Amber grips my arm as we look on. After only a few moments Trudy's eyes flutter open and she starts to walk with the boys.   
"Oh thank goodness." Maria murmurs from behind me and I realise that the others have turned up.   
"The pills are still in her system." Dal says gravely as Max and Bray help Trudy to sit back down on her bed.   
"We have to get her to throw up. Empty her stomach." Alex tells us.   
"How?" Kyle questions.   
"Salt water." Amber answers quietly then disappears off to the kitchen.   
"She's going down to the beach?" Ryan says in surprise, brining laughter from a few people.   
"No Ryan. She's going to get some ordinary water and add salt to it." I explain gently. He nods and blushes.   
Amber's soon back, carrying a bowl of water.   
"I'm sorry but I can't watch. I've never been good with this sort of thing." Zandra blurts out before leaving.   
"Um, I think I might go and check on the baby." I offer lamely before following her example.   
In the end only, Dal, Max, Amber and Bray stay with Trudy. The others all join Zandra and I in the Food Court. Salene and Liz have taken Brady and the little ones to play board games in the storage area at the back of the ground floor so that they're out of earshot of what's happening.   
The sounds of Trudy retching loudly soon drift out of her room and we all shift uncomfortably, unsure of what to say or do.   
"I kinda feel guilty." I don't realise that I've said it aloud until the others stare at me.   
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lex snorts from where he's helped himself to some breakfast.   
"Trudy and I had a fight yesterday. I said some pretty nasty things to her." I confess.   
"Rhiannon, the girl barely knows you. No offence but I don't think she tried to top herself just because you called her a few names." Kyle shrugs.   
"It'll be because we said she had to leave unless she changed the way she was acting." Maria speaks up.   
"We should never have done that. We knew that she wasn't well." Zandra says quietly, staring down at the tabletop.   
The rest of us all make gestures of agreement but Lex merely gives an indifferent shrug and goes back to his breakfast. Sudden silence from Trudy's room makes everyone look over in that direction. Dal and Max come out and come down the walkway to sit with the rest of us.   
"She's going to be fine. Amber and Bray are cleaning everything up." Dal tells us. There are sighs of relief from several people at that piece of news.   
"Did she say why she did it?" I ask slowly.   
"Not really, just kept going on about how she doesn't want to be here on her own and she's tired of being alone." Max shrugs.   
"But she's not alone. She has all of us." Jack points out.   
"Great. Now she's lost it." Lex mutters then holds his hands up in surrender when everyone glares at him.   
"I'll go and tell Liz and Salene that it's alright to bring the little ones back up." Maria says after a few moments of silence.   
The rest of us sit in silence while we wait for the girls to get back. Not really a lot you can say at a time like this I guess unless you want to look totally insensitive   
"Is Trudy going to die?" Jem asks in a whisper as she enters the Food Court.   
"No. No, she'll be fine." Max answers gently but firmly.   
"Do we know why she did it?" Liz asks. Max shakes her head.   
"Well I think Rhiannon's right, she's a stupid ungrateful little cow!" Salene bursts out with it then looks slightly shocked at herself.   
"Salene!" Zandra gasps. I can understand her surprise.   
"You've changed your tune, you were her biggest supporter yesterday." Lex remarks dryly.   
"If she was any kind of decent person she wouldn't have done this, knowing that she was leaving Brady behind!" Salene declares passionately.   
"Salene's got a point and look how she treated Rhiannon yesterday." Michael agrees.   
"I don't think she was really trying to kill herself. I think she knew that we'd save her." Isabel speaks up.   
"Why do you think that?" Dal asks curiously.   
"If she didn't want to be here with Brady then all she had to do was pack her things and leave. She took those pills to get attention, to make us feel sorry for her so we'd let her stay." Isabel explains.   
"Makes sense." I admit, starting to feel less guilty about my fight with Trudy.   
"Well it won't work! She can have a few extra days to recover from this then she's out!" Lex says defiantly.   
"You tell 'em Lex." Ryan supports his friend at once. One or two of the others start to applaud Lex and he salutes them.   
Michael suddenly puts a finger to his lips and we all fall silent as Amber and Bray enter the Food Court.   
"I think we need to have someone watching Trudy all the time for the next few days to make sure that she doesn't try this again." Bray says seriously after glancing around at everyone with raised eyebrows.   
"I'll do it for the rest of today and Rhiannon can do it tomorrow." Max volunteers at once. I glare across at him.   
"You have my deepest sympathies." Zandra murmurs and I smile at her.   
"Come on everyone, finish breakfast and get moving. We all have chores to do." Amber starts to chivvy everyone along.   
I'm glad of an excuse not to talk about Trudy anymore and the others clearly feel the same because we all leave without argument. The mood throughout the Mall is subdued for the rest of the day. We all make an effort not to talk about Trudy or go near her room but at the same time we stay in a group as much as possible. Our way of making sure that nothing has happened to any of the others I guess. None of us want to go to bed so we stay up much later than normal talking about whatever comes into our heads.   
Max shakes me gently the next morning, waking me instantly.   
"Your turn to watch Trudy." He says softly before leaving the room quietly.   
"I can't believe that you volunteered me to baby-sit that psycho!" I shout after him, not caring if anyone else hears me.   
I get dressed angrily but quickly. I wear a long, flowing thin lilac skirt, dark purple leather boots and a dark purple silk, short-sleeved top. Zandra gave me some magazines yesterday to help keep me busy so I grab them and a book from the nearest bookshelf before heading to Trudy's room.   
Salene is looking after Brady so, after checking that Trudy is asleep and not dead, I settle down in a chair beside her bed to read.   
This is going to be one long day.

Trudy doesn't wake up for another hour and blinks sleepily at me when she finally opens her eyes.   
"Are you hungry?" I ask politely, realising that it's almost breakfast time.   
"What do you care?" Trudy asks sulkily, shifting position to make herself more comfortable.   
"I don't but I told the others that I'd look after you today and that includes making sure you get fed." I snap.   
"Some breakfast would be nice." Trudy admits after we stare at each other for a while.   
I nod curtly and step to the bedroom door. Cloe is passing so I tell her to bring us two lots of breakfast. She doesn't look too happy at being treated as room service but scurries off when I glare at her.   
"Why do you have to look after me? Are you all afraid that I'll try it again?" Trudy asks as I sit back down. I nod and start reading my book again. "I bet no-one here will miss me when I leave, however I leave." Trudy ventures, trying to make conversation for some reason. I merely shrug.   
Cloe enters then and places a tray carrying two bowls of cereal and two spoons down on a low table before leaving again. I pass one bowl and spoon to Trudy and take the other. Trudy eats quietly, occasionally sneaking glances across at me. I find myself feeling sorry for her again. She looks very lonely and afraid and whether she knew we'd save her or not she was unhappy enough yesterday to take an overdose.   
Trudy's head snaps up as Brady can be heard crying from across the Mall, Salene's voice can be dimly heard as she tries to comfort the child.   
"When they throw me out but keep Brady here will Salene be the one raising her?" Trudy asks once the crying has stopped.   
"Probably. She's the one who's best with her." I answer. Trudy doesn't say anything, just nods sadly. "Aren't you going to make some grand argument about how she should stay with you because you're her mother?" I ask sneeringly then feel slightly ashamed of myself.   
"No. I love her but I'm not good enough at taking care of her. She'll be better off with Salene." Trudy whispers.   
"What happened? Amber said that for the first few days after the birth you were really happy about being a mother." I ask curiously.   
"I met up with Brady's father." Trudy says softly.   
"Let me guess, he dumped you when he found out about the baby." I scoff. To my surprise Trudy shakes her head. "What, you dumped him? Gee, that was smart!" I sneer at her again.   
"He was killed. Murdered." Trudy says it matter-of-factly and I stare at her for a moment.   
"What? Why? By who?" I manage to stammer out eventually.   
"Have you ever heard of Zoot, the original leader of the Locos?" Trudy asks me.   
"Yeah, the others have talked about him sometimes. The Locos are quite a large tribe, believe that only the strong will survive in this new world so they're going to be the strongest. They keep kids from other tribes as slaves. No one knows much about who Zoot was before the Virus. He was killed a few weeks ago, a tribe called the Demon Dogs are taking responsibility for it and – oh my God!" I break off and stare at her as I finally realise what she's trying to tell me. Trudy stares back at me and I get the sense that she's desperate for someone to confide in.   
"I sent him a message before Bray brought me here, telling him that I was pregnant. He showed up here the second night after I gave birth. Turned out that ever since he got my message he'd been searching the city to see where Bray had taken me. I asked him to leave the Locos and stay with the baby and me and he actually agreed. He was on his way back to Loco headquarters to pick up his things when the Demon Dogs got him. He hadn't brought any weapons with him because he didn't want any trouble if he was found here so he had no way of defending himself." Trudy tells me all this in a voice that's so calm it's slightly unnerving. I put our empty bowls back on the tray and watch her silently. "I've loved him for years, we were in the same class at school. His name was Martin before the Virus. I never let him know how I felt because I never thought that he'd feel the same about me. He was handsome ,kind, sensitive, popular, good at sports while I was just shy, quiet little Trudy who spent most of her time in the library. I dreaded him finding out because I knew he'd feel sorry for me so when I heard a rumour that I fancied his older brother who was in the year above us –Bray- I went along with it. I let everyone think that I was in love with Bray not Martin.   
There was a school dance about three months before the Virus. Neither Martin or I had dates and we ended up dancing together. He told how much he'd always liked me and we kissed. Almost before I knew what was happening we were back at his house, in his room. I should have made sure that we used some kind of protection but it was my first time and I just wanted to be with him. I guess I was just stupid enough to think that nothing would happen.   
When I woke up the next morning he was still asleep. I wanted to wake him up and say goodbye but he looked so peaceful that I changed my mind and left him there. My parents were really strict you see and I had to get home early because if they found out that I'd been out all night they would have gone nuts.   
I thought that after that we'd be in a relationship but the next time I saw him he was so hurt and angry. He knew about the rumours about my feelings for Bray and thought I'd only slept with him to try and make his brother jealous. I tried to explain but he wouldn't believe me. He thought that I'd left before he woke up because I regretted what had happened or was ashamed of it. He avoided me whenever I tried to talk to him so I decided to leave it for a while until he calmed down. Then the Virus killed his parents and he became Zoot.   
The night he came here I finally told him how much I'd always loved him. He told me that he'd felt the same for a long time then kissed me and held me so tight. As if he was afraid to let me go." Trudy falls silent and I fight the urge to comfort her.   
"I still don't understand why you act so strangely towards Brady." I say bluntly after giving her a moment to compose herself.   
"Sometimes I look at her and I like to take care of her because she reminds me of him and how much we really did love each other. Then there are other times when I can't bear to even look at her because all I can think of is the fact that he's gone and I'll never see him again.   
Oh Rhiannon, I can't bear it! I know I should help out around here but I can't take an interest in anything, not even my own daughter, because everything just reminds me of him and what he's missing. What I tried yesterday I tried because I just want to be with him again. We had such a short time together before he was taken away, it's not fair! I can't cope with all that's happening without him! I'm not strong enough on my own!" At this point Trudy bursts into tears.   
I get the impression that this is the first time she's cried since she heard about Zoot's death. I move to sit beside her on the bed and put my arms around her. Trudy buries her head in my shoulder and sobs. I stroke her hair back from her face and rub her back.   
"What do you think Martin would say if he was here and knew about what's been going on?" I ask gently.   
"He'd be furious with me. He'd want me to look after myself and raise Brady so that she'd know what kind of a man he had been." Trudy answers with a sniffle.   
"Then that's what you should do. Brady is something that you have left of him, you should be thankful for her, a lot of people don't have anything that reminds them of the ones they've lost. Besides, you don't have to cope with things on your own; you have a whole tribe of people willing to help you if you'd just ask them to. I mean, what about Bray? Surely he doesn't mind helping out with his own niece." I agree with her gently.   
"He doesn't know that Brady's his niece. I never told him that Martin was her father. I was going to but I wanted to tell Martin first and then he died and everything went wrong." Trudy confesses.   
"You need to go on with your life and be happy Trudy. From what you've told me about Martin it's what he would have wanted." I tell her firmly after a pause.   
"What should I do first?" Trudy asks, drawing back to sit beside me.   
"I think you need to tidy yourself up a bit. Wash your hair and put on some clean clothes." I suggest.   
Trudy nods and starts to search through her wardrobe. I go down to the storage area and come back with a bottle of shampoo, a bowl and some water. While Trudy tidies herself up I quietly walk across to the Food Court where Salene has Brady.   
"I'll take the baby Salene. Thanks for looking after her." I say firmly as I stand in front of her.   
"Take her where? I thought you were supposed to be looking after Trudy." Jack queries. I nod my head at him then turn back to Salene.   
"You can't give the baby back to Trudy, she'll lose interest in her by the end of the day!" Maria protests sharply.   
I ignore her and raise my eyebrows at Salene. She slowly stands up then smiles and hands me Brady. I smile back at her before heading back to Trudy's room.   
She's sat on her bed brushing her wet hair. She already looks a lot better then the girl I met on my first morning in the Mall. Now that her hair is clean it's revealed to be dark purple and it comes down to between her chin and her shoulders. Her face is still pale but she's covered up the circles under her eyes with concealer. She's changed into another brown dress but this one is longer and shows off her figure better.   
Trudy glances over when I enter the room and her face lights up when she sees Brady in my arms. She puts down the brush and holds out her arms eagerly. I carefully sit down beside her before passing her the baby. Brady seems to recognise her mother and waves one little hand in her face. Trudy's eyes glisten with tears so I put one arm around her.   
"I have to start making thing right around here. She tells me after a moment then yawns.   
"You and Brady get some rest. You can start tomorrow." I reply softly.   
I get to my feet and start to leave the room so they can have some peace. Trudy's voice stops me at the door.   
"Rhiannon?" I turn back to look at her with raised eyebrows. "Thanks." She says with a smile. I smile back then leave.   
When I get to the Food Court everyone else is there and they all turn to look at me as I arrive. I lean against a pillar and stare back at them.   
"Why did you give Brady back to Trudy?" Bray asks, he looks hopeful and I smile at him.   
"Because Trudy's her mother and she loves her. She wants another chance, with Brady and with the tribe." I say simply.   
"Tough. She's out." Lex declares from his corner.   
"No she isn't. We all agreed that we'd give her a few days and if she started pulling her weight by the end of them she could stay." I snap.   
"Rhiannon's right. We all agreed to give Trudy a second chance, even you Lex." Amber speaks up. Lex grumbles a bit but there isn't much he can say to that and he knows it.   
"Do you really think she'll stick to this second chance?" Max asks.   
"Yeah, I do. She wants to start getting her life back together." I answer firmly.   
"She'll need help from all of us. We'll need to go easy on her." Salene adds compassionately and smiles at me when I meet her eyes.   
"If she tries to mess us around again then she's out on the spot." Lex tries to regain control of things but everyone ignores him as the conversation turns to other topics.

For a while everything in the Mall runs smoothly. Trudy looks after Brady, carries out all of her chores and tries to get along with everyone. Bray, Salene, Liz and I are friendly to her but the others are merely polite.   
Liz and Max dance around each other, both fancy the other but both too afraid to admit their feelings.   
Lex and Zandra flirt non-stop but they don't appear to be in an actual relationship. One of their 'off' times I guess. Bray and Amber definitely fancy each other. I can tell by their physical reactions when they're near each other: flushed skin; quicker breathing; dilated pupils; unable to actually look one another in the eye; trouble following a single train of thought in the presence of the other. All of the classic signs.   
The peace comes to an end one mid-morning when I'm sat in Trudy's room talking to her about Bray and Amber and keeping an eye on Brady.   
"She's grown a lot." I remark to Trudy, changing the subject.   
"Yeah she has. She's developing her own little personality as well." Trudy smiles down at her daughter in her crib.   
"Who do you think she looks more like, you or her father?" I ask after a moment.   
"Me, thankfully. If she had Zoot's eyes people might start to ask questions." Trudy laughs.   
The two of us jerk around at a noise from the doorway to see Lex stood there watching us with a smirk. He turns and heads to the Food Court. I take a quick look at Trudy'' white face and go after him.   
"Everyone get out here! Tribe meeting!" He's yelling as I reach him.   
"Lex, leave the girl alone. Hasn't she already been though enough?" I plead. Lex completely ignores me.   
"What is it, what's happening?" Amber demands as the others arrive.   
"We've all wondered who Brady's father is, well I've found out. She's Zoot's!" Lex almost spits out the words.   
There's silence as the others all stare at him then, at the sound of footsteps, they all turn to stare at Trudy as she walks up beside me, holding Brady tightly in her arms.   
"Is this true Trudy? You were in a relationship with Zoot?" Amber questions in amazement.   
"No. I knew him before the Virus, back when his name was still Martin. He was a good person that all of you would have liked." Trudy answers with such dignity that I'm proud of her.   
"Why didn't you tell me that Brady is my brother's child?" Bray demands. There are gasps from the others as they put two and two together.   
"I was going to but I wanted to tell Martin first. I sent him a message telling him that I was pregnant and eventually he tracked me down here. I asked him to stay with the baby and me, leave the Locos and he agreed. He was on his way back to their headquarters to pick up his things when the Demon Dogs got him. He'd come alone and didn't bring any weapons because he didn't want any trouble if he ran into anyone here so he had no way of defending himself." Trudy blinks rapidly as she finishes to clear away the forming tears.   
"That's so sad." Zandra murmurs. Lex glares at her.   
"There's nothing sad about it! The guy deserved everything he got but that's not the point. The point is that his brat is now living under our roof and eating our food! They need to go!" He shouts.   
Trudy gasps and moves closer to me. Bray gets to his feet and stands between Lex and Trudy.   
"You want them to leave Lex, come and make them." I speak up quietly, staring directly into his eyes.   
"They're not leaving! You can't punish an innocent baby for who her father was!" Salene protests.   
"Yeah. Besides, what difference does it make now who her father was?" Liz agrees.   
"Everybody shut up!" Michael snaps from the kitchen entrance.   
Something in his stance and facial expression makes us all go silent without protest. In the quiet that follows I can hear a dim whirring sound like that of a distant engine. I'm aware that my brain has registered the sound for the past few minutes but I've only just started to pay attention to it.   
"It sounds like engines." Dal says after a minute or two of listening. Normal people can't hear as well as us.   
"Ships landing?" Alex asks, glancing around to see if anyone agrees with him.   
"It's the adults coming back! It has to be!" Jem squeals.   
"They must have decided it's safe to lift the quarantine and sent people to help us!" Liz agrees excitedly.   
Most of the others start to cheer and hug each other but Bray and I exchange glances. Trudy looks at me then goes to stand by Bray who wraps one arm around her. She still looks pale and scared.   
"Do you think it really is the adults?" Amber asks as she joins me.   
"Only one way to find out." I tell her.   
Amber nods and the two of us start down the stairs. Jabbering away and laughing the others all quickly follow us.   


Remember, the review button is there for a reason. ;)


	7. Tribe 7

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There's a whole universe out there. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath, Zandera and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the official tribe website. You guys are the best!

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DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do a disclaimer in part one. My bad. Anything you recognise from one of the three shows is not mine and belongs to the creators of the respective programmes. All I can take credit for is the original characters and places.

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DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

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KIMIKO KAMA: I think you're the only person reading this lol. Yeah, that bit might have been a little excessive length wise. This part's almost as bad though lol. What can I say I was inspired. Hope you like it. J 

When we get to the street outside the main entrance to the Mall the others fall silent again. Ships can now be seen landing in the countryside at one edge of the city. Children are dancing around and waving to the ships as they fly overhead. The streets are echoing to the sounds of cheering and cries of delight.   
"What should we do now?" Zandra asks, looking slightly scared now that the initial rush of excitement has subsided.   
"I'm going to go and see who these people actually are." I answer calmly. The others all look relieved that someone else is taking charge.   
"I'll come too. Better safe than sorry. You guys stay here until we get back." Lex adds sternly then winks at Zandra who blushes.   
I glare at him then start walking. I roll my eyes mentally at Max and he sends me back a grin.   
"I'm not your favourite person at the moment, am I?" Lex remarks with a grin after we've out of hearing range of the others.   
"Not really. You had no right to treat Trudy and Brady like that." I snap but refuse to actually look at him.   
"I'm trying to protect the whole tribe. If anyone finds out that Brady is Zoot's kid they'll be after her, to take her or to kill her. I don't want the rest of us to get caught in the cross-fire." Lex answers seriously.   
He's sincere enough and I have to respect him for trying to look after the others.   
"Leave them alone. They're no threat to you and no one else knows about Trudy and Zoot. Besides, if the adults are back to look after us we won't need to worry about the whole tribe thing for much longer." I say flatly.   
"Yeah, _if _they're back to look after us." Lex mutters and we exchange glances.   
Getting through the city is easy; everyone is so excited that they're not bothering to enforce tribal boundaries. It's as we approach the ships that we hit a problem. There are crowds everywhere; it's impossible to see if anyone's even coming out of the ships. Lex nudges me and points off to one side.   
There's a half-demolished house there. Maybe they were tearing it down before the Virus hit or maybe rival tribes were fighting there. The two of us scramble up the piles of rubble to the shell of an upper-floor bedroom, lie down on our stomachs and stare through the hole where a window used to be at the ships.   
After a few minutes a ramp comes down from the nearest ship and a figure walks down it. A man. There's even greater excitement from the crowds as they realise that he's an adult. He's not much taller than I am but with his shaved head and black leather clothes he does look quite impressive. More people follow him down the ramp and I can see them coming out of the other ships. They are all dressed in black leather and all have at least one weapon on them. Whoever these people are they haven't come to help us.

"Greetings everyone. My name is Tao." The first man announces, bringing forth more cheers. "These are my followers, My Protectors. We have come here because this planet contains an important mineral that our own planet lacks. We're here to mine this mineral but we shall need extra assistance." This is all said in a calm and reasonable voice that makes Lex and I exchange glances.   
Some of the older kids in the crowds are starting to look uneasy but the rest are still cheering and clapping. Tao makes a sharp gesture with his left hand and his followers march forward. They start to grab kids and haul them back onto the ships. Those in the front of the crowds start to scream and push through the other kids to try and escape but they don't have much luck, as the back ranks don't realise what's happening and are still trying to cram forward and see the adults.   
The scene disintegrates into total chaos as the crowds start fighting amongst themselves for survival and the adults drag struggling teenagers away.   
"The others will be stood outside the Mall waiting for us. We have to get back and warn them." Lex hisses in my ear.   
I nod then, with a last glance at the scene in front of me; I follow him back down the piles of rubble to the street below. Together we go racing back through the city streets. I could easily have outdistanced Lex but I match my pace to his. Behind us the cheers and laughter turn to screams as people realise what's happening.   
The others are huddled where we left them looking scared by the screaming.   
"Back inside! Get back inside!" Lex roars as we run up the street towards them.   
Then we reach them and I shove Zandra and Maria along in front of me.   
"Jack, drop both grids! Michael, Bray, Ryan, go and find something to shore up the doors leading from the sewers! Move, move!" Lex yells once everyone is safely inside.   
The boys stare at him for a second then run to do his bidding.   
There are two metal grids that come down to block the main entrance with a gap of about five meters between them. We usually only drop the inner one at night but now Jack pulls the levers for both of them.   
"One of you please tell us what's going on!" Isabel demands.   
"All of those who sleep downstairs grab your things and move upstairs." I order, ignoring my sister.   
Dal and Jack start to do as they're told then Jack turns back to me.   
"What about the computer equipment in my workshop?" He asks, referring to the Electronics Workshop opposite the fountain.   
"Leave it, these people aren't interested in computers. The rest of you go and block every window in the rooms we go into. Put curtains over them, move furniture in front of them, whatever, just make sure that no-one can see inside." I command the rest of the tribe.   
For the next half an hour we're all busy, shoring up things, boarding up the windows and moving all our supplies from the supply are to empty shops upstairs.   
"Now will you tell us what happened?" Salene asks Lex and I as everyone gathers in the Food Court.   
"The people on the ships are slavers. They want us to mine the planet for some mineral. They grabbed a load of kids from the crowds that went to see what was going on." Lex informs them all seriously.   
There's silence for a moment then the little ones start to weep bitterly, heartbroken that no one's come to take care of us. Zandra, Liz and Trudy look near tears themselves.   
"We'll need someone to be on guard by the doors from the sewers and someone by the grids at night in case they try to get in here. We'll hear them if they try it during the day. At least one grid has to be down at all times." I speak up when things are slightly calmer.   
"Salene, get some lunch ready." Isabel orders absently. Salene glares at her but goes into the kitchen.   
The meal is subdued as we all keep looking over the railings and starting at any noise. During the afternoon Trudy and I sit in my bedroom, as it is the only one that is not directly off the walkway. We don't talk much just read some of the books and fiddle with the make-up products and ornaments. I think we both just like knowing that someone else is there. Towards evening Amber joins us.   
"Do you think we should leave the city and try to start again in the countryside?" She asks.   
"It depends how big an area they're mining. If they're doing the whole planet we might as well stay and take our chances here." I shrug.   
"What if we get taken as slaves? Brady will never survive." Trudy worries, shifting her hold on her daughter. I put my arm around them both.   
I want to tell her that if we do get taken then Max, Michael, Isabel and I will use our powers to get everyone out again but we've decided to keep our powers a secret so I have to keep silent.   
"We'll be all right if we stay on our guard. We just have to work together." Amber doesn't look like she quite believes her own words.   
"I wish Martin was here." Trudy sighs. I give her arm a squeeze then look back to Amber   
"Let's get to dinner. See how the others are doing." She suggests after a moment.   
Dinner is subdued to start with then Bray begins to tell the little ones funny stories to cheer them up and before long everyone has joined in. I don't miss the grateful look Amber sends Bray or the smile he gives her in return. Maria starts singing a song and Liz and Max waltz up and down the walkway. We all cheer them on while Michael and Ryan slip downstairs for guard duty. We all go off to bed a little happier then we had been before dinner. I don't lie awake worrying for long. I use one of the techniques I was taught at Manticore to clear my mind and help me drift off to sleep.   
In the morning I'm woken up not by Brady crying but by the sounds of drums from outside. The whole tribe comes staggering out of their rooms, still in their nightclothes, to gather downstairs by the fountain. I pull on my robe and go down to join them.   
"Where's it coming from?" Patsy whimpers. Salene gives her a hug.   
"I think it's a recording that's being played through loudspeakers. They want to get our attention." Max says quietly.   
"They're showing off. Letting us see how much power they have." Kyle adds scornfully.   
"Scare tactics more like." Michael grunts.   
The drums stop suddenly and we all exchanges glances. What's going to happen now?

"Citizens of the city attend to my words!" A huge voice booms out. "We want your co-operation in our work not your enmity. Let the leaders of all your groups gather at noon in the field to the left of the city to speak with me."

"It's some kind of trap." Michael says at once. I roll my eyes at his gift for pointing out the obvious.

"I'm not so sure. The field he means is huge and there'll be a lot of kids there. If he leaves people behind to guard the kids he grabbed yesterday then I don't think he'll have enough manpower with him to overpower all the leaders." Bray becomes the voice of reason.

"Even if it is a trap I think we need to go, if only to try and see how dangerous these people really are." Amber speaks up.

"Who's going to go? We don't have any leaders or even a name." Ryan points out.

"Who does everyone want to be in charge?" Isabel asks.

There's a babble of voices as everyone calls out their preferred choices but the favourites appear to be Amber, Bray, Lex and I. Amber calls for a vote so that everyone can have a proper say. Bray and Amber are accepted easily. We were taught at Manticore to suppress our emotions but I can't help a quick rush of pride when the others all vote to have me as one of their leaders as well. There's a little hesitation over Lex but in the end everyone votes for him too.

"There's only an hour or so until noon, you guys had better start getting ready." Kyle warns.

"Be careful what you wear. You want them to take you seriously." Zandra speaks up. It's strangely insightful for her but she has a point.

We all scatter after that and I head to my room to get dressed. I choose black leather trousers; black leather boots with laces up the front and a skin-tight red and black vest top. Amber is wearing black biker boots and her black leather hipsters and matching vest top. Bray is wearing black jeans, a loose fitting grey top and a long brown leather coat. Lex is the most colourful of us with red jeans, a yellow and blue top and a dark purple jacket.

We all grab an early lunch then the other three and I prepare to leave.

"Wait, what are we going to call our tribe if anyone ask?" Amber questions suddenly.

"I've been thinking about that actually. We're all living like _rats _in an abandoned _Mall _so let's be the Mall Rats." Lex says before anyone else can answer.

He's just trying to be funny but the name does have a bit of a ring to it.

"Mall Rats. The Mall Rats. We're the Mall Rats." I try it out in a singsong then laugh.

The little ones begin jumping up and down, clapping their hands and trying out the new name. Salene grabs my hands and we twirl around chanting: "Mall Rats. The Mall Rats. We're the Mall Rats!" and laughing at the same time.

The others laugh too and cheer us on. Once we've all calmed down we form a loose circle by holding hands. Bray is on one side of me and Ryan is on the other.

"Welcome to the Mall Rats." Amber announces. She catches my eye as she says it and smiles at me. I wink at her.

"It's showtime." Lex drawls as we break the circle.

Jack raises the grids and the four of us start walking around the corner and down the passageway towards the main entrance. As soon as we're past them the grids come crashing back down again. The others press up against them and call advice and warnings after us. Something Trudy says catches my attention: "Watch out for Ebony, Bray!"

"Who's Ebony and why do you need to watch out for her?" I ask him at once.

"She was the leader of the Locos with my brother, taken sole charge now. She was in the same class as Martin and Trudy and…um, she has a crush on me" Bray explains. Lex sniggers and gives Bray a thumbs up.

"Did anything ever come of it?" Amber asks, trying to make it sound casual. I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

"Nothing really. We were too different to have ever worked out." Bray hastens to reassure her. Amber doesn't look too convinced.

Once Bray and Lex have walked slightly ahead I throw my arms around Amber's neck and make loud kissing noises in her ear. She pushes me away and we both giggle then calm down as the boys turn back to look at us then walk on with our arms around each other.

We all move closer together as we reach the field. Bray has come across most of the larger tribes as he searches the city for supplies so he points them out to us. The boys with the silver clothes and make-up are from the Demon Dogs. The ones all in red are the Raiders. The ones in conflicting colours are the Clowns. I recognise Ebony as the slim Black girl I saw in the sports speeder on the night the others and I returned to the city. The ones all in black are the Vampires. The ones in all white are the Ghosts. There are also the leaders of about twenty smaller tribes that Bray doesn't know much about.

The Protectors haven't put in an appearance yet and everybody is just standing around waiting for them. They're all nervous but don't want any of the other leaders to pick up on it.

I sense both Amber and Bray go tense and quickly follow their gazes to see Ebony approaching us accompanied by some of her tribe.

"Well, well, well, you're the last person I expected to see here." She says sweetly to Bray.

"Everyone has a say in this Ebony." He answers her coolly.

"If you want to join your tribe with mine I am looking for a new co-leader." Ebony carries on, running one hand up his chest.

I step to Bray's side and slap her hand away then link arms with Bray.

""I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. He's taken." I tell her smoothly.

Ebony stares between the two of us for a moment then sneers at me, turns and walks away.

"Thank you. You probably just saved my life." Bray grins at me, pretending to mop his brow.

The tension that's been gripping the four of us eases slightly as we all laugh only to return in full force as the Protectors silently enter the field. Tao walks forward alone to stand in the centre of the field, facing the assembled tribal leaders. His Protectors all make sure that their weapons are visible.

"As you all know my followers and I are here to mine this planet for a mineral it contains. We are content to look after this city and its occupants as long as our work is allowed to progress undisturbed. Your authority and your possessions will not be affected." He tells us all calmly.

"What exactly is this work?" The girl in charge of the Vampires asks.

"We need the mineral to power certain pieces of our equipment and we want to send it back to our home planet." Tao answers her at once.

"How do you mean that you're going to look after the city?" Someone from the Ghosts is next to speak.

"We will supervise everything that goes on here to ensure that everyone is treated fairly. We wish for the city to be peaceful and for its people to exist in harmony with one another. We do not wish to cause anyone here any unhappiness." Tao replies in a gentle voice.

"How can you say that when only yesterday you kidnapped children who had come to see your ships and took them prisoner?" Amber demands.

"That was merely an unfortunate mistake. The children involved have not been harmed." Tao is starting to look slightly irritated.

"But you're not going to release any of them, are you?" The leader of the Vampires guesses shrewdly.

"No, I'm afraid that I cannot do that. They are needed to help build our new mines. This need not happen again however, if the city co-operates with me then everyone will be safe and well looked after." The threat in his voice is unmistakable.

"So that's our choice, co-operate or be taken as slaves? Well, you'll have to take my tribe down to these mines of yours here and now because we will never go along with a bully like you! This city does not belong to anyone but the people who live here and you have no right to try and threaten us or give us orders!" Amber tells him in a ringing voice. I grin in admiration as I watch her.

"She's right. You need us, we don't need you. We should be the ones giving out orders and making demands." Someone from the Raiders calls out.

"We won't help you or your 'Protectors'. Give us back the kids you took!" The leader of the Clowns yells.

"Give them back! Give them back! Give them back!" The whole field is suddenly full of voices as everyone joins in the chant.

The Protectors have their weapons ready but can't actually fire them for fear of hitting Tao. There's a whizzing noise and a large stone hits a Protector on the arm. The air becomes thick with stones and the Protectors fall back for a moment until Tao is out of the danger zone and then they fire their weapons. Most of the leaders have obviously been waiting for this though as they cut and run.

Amber grabs my hand and pulls me along as the four of us follow their example. I glance back as we reach the city. No kids have been hurt or captured and Tao is glaring after us.

We stop to catch our breath once we're a safe distance inside the city streets.

"You were amazing!" Bray tells Amber, grabbing her in his arms and swinging her around. Lex looks at them and rolls his eyes at me.

"They know what we look like. They'll be after us now." I warn quietly.

"We'd better be ready for them then." Lex says seriously.

The four of us look at one another in silence for a while then we start back to the Mall. None of us speak on the way though Amber and I link arms.

Lex rattles the outer grid when we get back and Jack lets us in then lowers the grids again while the others come downstairs to meet us.

Amber fills them in on what happened and they all look concerned.

"If they attack this place we can hold them off." Michael speaks up. Isabel and Max both nod slightly but the others don't look convinced.

The little ones scream suddenly and we all turn to see Protectors on the other side of the grids. At the same time banging can be heard as more of them try to get in through the doors leading from the sewers.

"The doors are shored up. How long will they hold?" Amber asks worriedly.

"Depends how many Protectors there are." Lex says curtly before he heads off towards the doors. The other boys follow him.

"Isabel, go up the back stairs to the roof and keep a watch out. Warn us if any Protector reinforcements show up." Amber orders.

Isabel nods and jogs off towards the back stairs. Amber and Salene start herding everyone else up the stairs to the food court. I look back when I reach the top of the stairs to see that the Protectors have left the grids. Probably gone around to join the others trying to break in from the sewers.

"Do you think the boys will be able to hold them off?" Zandra asks.

"I think so. The Protectors will only be able to get through the doors a few at a time." Maria answers quietly.

There's a crash as the doors finally give way and we all jump. I take a quick glance around to establish where everyone is. Trudy is sat at one of the back tables with Brady on her lap. Liz and Maria are stood against the wall not far from Trudy, clutching each other's hands. Salene is sat at the table nearest the kitchen entrance with the little ones beside her and Amber and Zandra are both looking over the railings towards the sewers.

"I hope Lex is alright." Zandra frets as shouts and sounds of fighting drift up to us.

"He's a survivor. He'll be fine." Amber assures her.

I resist the urge to pace as I listen to the noises from the sewers. I'm a soldier, a fighter. I should be down there in the thick of things not skulking around up here. Even as I think this I know that I can't leave the food court because I have to protect the others.

A gasp from Zandra draws my attention sharply back to the ground floor. Three Protectors have managed to get past Lex and the others. They see us and come running up the stairs.

I punch the first one to reach the top and then swing him around into the railings. The metal bar at the top catches him in the stomach and he falls to his knees, completely winded. Amber steps to my side and shoves the second Protector as he lifts his leg to step up onto the upper level. He loses his balance and tumbles down to the landing halfway up the stairs where he lies groaning. The third one dodges easily past Amber. I throw a punch at him but he deflects it, grabs my arm and pushes me into some chairs. He's good. I keep my feet and start towards him again.

"Martin?" Trudy asks in a shocked near whisper.

I stop and swivel around to stare at her in disbelief. She's staring at the third Protector in disbelief, all colour drained from her face. I stare at him as well. He's my age, a bit taller than I am with long blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He isn't wearing tribe markings and, like the other Protectors, he's wearing all black leather.

"Hello Trudy. How have you and the baby been?" He asks indifferently.


	8. Tribe 8

****

There's a whole universe out there. 

****

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath, Zandera and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the official tribe website. You guys are the best!

****

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do a disclaimer in part one. My bad. Anything you recognise from one of the three shows is not mine and belongs to the creators of the respective programmes. All I can take credit for is the original characters and places.

****

DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

The rest of us are silently staring between him and Trudy. She adjusts her hold on Brady, gets to her feet and starts to slowly walk towards Martin. I carefully move closer to the two of them so I can step in if he tries anything.

"It's really you?" Trudy questions.

"Do I look like a ghost?" Martin says lightly.

Trudy reaches out one hand and places it on his cheek. I see his eyes flicker at the contact but his expression doesn't change.

"The Demon Dogs said that they killed you." Trudy says after a moment.

"They jumped me. I got away. When I didn't turn up again they took credit for it." Martin shrugs.

"How could you do this to me?!" Trudy yells furiously, making everyone jump in surprise.

Brady had been dozing in her mother's arms but now jerks awake and starts to cry. Zandra steps forward quietly and takes her from Trudy.

"You knew the Demon Dogs were saying they killed you so you knew I thought you were dead! How do you think I've been feeling?! I tried to _kill _myself! You said you loved me! You said you wanted to be with Brady and I but at the first opportunity you sneak away and end up working for a group of slavers and kidnappers!" Trudy rages at Martin.

"What do you mean, you tried to kill yourself?" Martin demands sharply, moving even closer to Trudy.

"Don't you dare try and change the subject!" She screams, jerking away from him.

In the silence that follows I realise that the fighting downstairs has stopped. Max and the others come around the corner, quickening their pace when they see the Protector on the landing and the two in the food court.

"Martin?" Bray gasps when he enters the food court and sees his brother. The other boys all gape at Martin as they realise who he is.

Martin's attention snaps back to his surroundings at his brother's voice. The other Protector has recovered and is stood by the railings. Martin gestures to him and they back off down the stairs. Helping their companion to his feet when they reach him. We all watch in silence until they're out of sight.

"Go down to the sewers and make sure they're gone." Lex orders Ryan after a moment.

Once Ryan's gone my attention goes back to Trudy. She's stood in the middle of the food court. She looks like she's gone into shock. Her eyes are wide and unfocused and she's shaking. She looks at me and gives a choked sounding whimper. I move to her side just as she starts to fall and lower her down to sit on the floor. Amber and I sit on either side of her and put our arms around her as she starts to cry.

Bray stoops down, lifts her easily in his arms and carries her back to her room. Amber, Salene and I follow quietly.

"It was all a lie, he never wanted to be with me! He never loved me!" Trudy wails.

"You don't know that for sure." I venture as I sit down on the bed beside her.

"Yes I do! He knew how I felt about him and he used that to have sex with me. If he loved me then he would never have left me! He would have come back!" Trudy starts to cry even harder. Bray sighs and hugs her.

"I think he loves you. He looked like he loves you." Salene says firmly.

"Salene's right. He was pleased to see you." Amber agrees kindly. Zandra arrives at this point.

"Liz has Brady." She says in response to our questioning looks.

Trudy's crying has died away and she's sitting with her head on Bray's shoulder, staring blankly ahead of her. Watching her I make a quick decision.

"Trudy? If I find Martin and persuade him to come back here and talk to you in private would you see him?" I ask in a low voice. Trudy looks up and locks eyes with me until she's sure I'm serious then she slowly nods.

"The others won't be happy. He's a Protector now and they remember him as Zoot not Martin." Bray speaks up quietly.

"Then we won't tell them about it." Amber states in a determined voice. The other four and I all nod.

"I'll keep Brady with me tonight. I'll tell the others that you didn't want her around you while you were still so upset. That will give you and Martin some time alone." Salene smiles at Trudy. Trudy smiles back faintly.

"We should give you a makeover. Let Martin see what he's been missing out on!" Zandra giggles suddenly.

"How long do we have?" Trudy asks me anxiously.

"Max is on guard duty tonight so I can leave whenever I want so long as Martin and I don't get back until after everyone else has gone to bed." I shrug.

"Plenty of time! Off you go Bray, a man's touch isn't needed here." Zandra says dismissively.

Bray laughs, squeezes Trudy's shoulder and gets up. He and Amber meet gazes lingeringly as he leaves the room.

Trudy has a lot of clothes in her wardrobe that she's gathered from different places and Zandra tosses them all onto the bed. The afternoon passes quickly and I have a good time with the other girls as we laugh and joke about the different outfits and make up combinations. Not even back on Solar with my best friend Shelby did I have this much fun. I can't help feeling a little disloyal to Shelby as I think this.

Zandra definitely knows her stuff; Trudy looks amazing by the time she's finished with her. She's wearing brightly coloured trainers, dark green trousers with a slit at each knee to show her skin, a thin strapped leopard spotted print top and over this a kind of short sleeved light brown top with sleeves that end in ruffles just below the shoulders and which comes together in a loose bow at the collarbone, hanging open to show the top underneath. Her hair is trimmed to just below chin length and gathered into two bunches, one on either side of her head. All the hair in the bunches has been scrimped so that there's a wave effect in them. Her make up is simple; merely light brown eyeshadow and a series of bright interlocking thick lines just below and to the side of one eye.

"Time for tea I think so Rhiannon can get going and I can hurry the others along to bed." Amber says once we've finished admiring Trudy.

"I'm too nervous to eat. You guys go on ahead." Trudy says quietly.

The others all look serious as we join them in the food court and I raise my eyebrows at them.

"I've only just come back from keeping watch because the Protectors have only just left the city. They attacked all of the buildings that looked occupied and took a lot of kids as slaves." Isabel reports quietly.

"At least we know they weren't after us because of Amber's little outburst at the field." Lex says with a sideways glance at Amber.

"We'll be in trouble if the other tribes decide to blame us for it though." Bray muses quietly with a worried frown.

I stay silent during the meal. I'm sure Amber and the others think I'm worried about making my way to the Protectors' camp but I'm actually having a telepathic conversation with Max to let him know what's happening.

'Don't use your powers whatever you do.' He warns me.

'I don't see why I can't. All anyone will know is that I'm a mutant and who are they going to tell?' I say carelessly.

'We don't know for sure that we're alone here. Somewhere that isn't supposed to have any adults would be perfect for a Manticore facility.' Max points out. I can't help a small shiver escaping me at that thought.

Once the meal is finished I hang about and help Salene clean up until there's no one in sight.

"Good luck!" Salene hisses as I leave the kitchen. I wave to her as I run down the stairs.

The doors to the sewers haven't been shored up again, as the logic is that if the Protectors can get through once they can get through twice. Having a guard sat under the manhole entrance at night is easier because if the guard sees anyone coming he or she can warn the rest of us and everyone can be armed and ready by the time the attackers get inside the actual Mall. I slide the doors open, slip through and close them silently behind me.

I run through the sewers easily, the darkness proving no problem with my enhanced vision. I don't bother climbing the ladder to the manhole merely jump up to the last rung and push the cover up and to the side with one hand. I have to be careful when I replace the cover, as any sound of the metal scraping against the concrete would be heard for a distance on this clear night.

The last time I was out at night was the night the others and I found the Mall. Then the streets were full of noise and different tribes fighting each other.

Now every street I pass through is silent and deserted. The contrast is eerie and I pick up my pace a little. I stop as I reach the last few buildings on the outskirts of the city and use my enhanced vision to examine the Protectors' camp.

A large hole in the ground between the city and their camp is obviously the beginnings of their mines. Buildings have sprung up around it made of some kind of corrugated metal. There's some kind of covering strung between these buildings and lager; grander looking ones probably to keep people dry as they walk between the buildings when it rains. Protectors are everywhere but I can't see any sign of the slaves until I catch sight of a heavily guarded, fenced in enclosure off to one side of the mines.

In my dark clothing I blend easily into the increasing shadows and go silently across the ground until I reach the first buildings. Not knowing where Martin is means that I'll have to search every building I come to. I wander idly between the first few buildings as there are few Protectors in this area and the sound of approaching footsteps gives me plenty of time to hide. I glance at the slaves in their enclosure as I stroll past on the other side of the mines, the Protectors guarding them will just think I'm another sentry. I feel sorry for them as I remember what it was like to be locked up at Manticore but I have to find Martin before I'm spotted and there are too many guards for me to do anything to help them without exposing my powers.

As I reach the covered area I have to be more careful to stick to the shadows due to the increased number of Protectors. Once I've reached the larger buildings it's slightly easier for me to hide and use my advanced hearing to check the voices inside each building. It's also harder to hide as I get less warning and more than once I have to jump up onto the roof of a building or cling to a wall at above head level. On one such occasion the two sets of footsteps pause just below me.

"What is your opinion of the day's events?" Tao's voice asks. I roll my eyes. Great, they're stopping to chat.

"Next time I think we should confirm beforehand that the buildings targeted are occupied in order to maximise the number of slaves taken. Otherwise I think it went well, everyone was efficient." This voice is Martin's and he sounds almost like an X5. Maybe he's one of the other escapees. Bray never mentioned whether he was adopted or not.

Nicolas was the only one of the boys other than Zack to have blond hair AND blue eyes and this guy is too young to be him. It could be one of the others though if he'd dyed his hair or brought contact lenses. Connor maybe. I always got on well with him.

I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I don't even realise that they've stopped talking until the footsteps start to go off in two different directions. I grimace in disgust at myself for my lack of attention. If Zack caught me doing zoning out like this he'd go mad. I drop to the ground and follow Martin until we go around a corner and are out of sight of anyone else. As I grab him and pull him deeper into the shadows I take advantage of his hair flying to one side to scan the back of his neck. No barcode. I push down the stab of disappointment and release him. Martin spins around to face me then his eyes widen in surprise as he recognises me.

"You're one of Trudy's friends. What are you doing here?" He demands.

"Trudy wants to see you again. She wanted me to bring you back to the Mall." I answer.

"So the rest of your tribe can jump me as soon as I get in the building? No thanks!" Martin sneers.

"It'll just be you and Trudy. Are you interested or not?" I ask calmly. When he doesn't answer I shrug and start to walk away.

I've only gone a few meters when he catches up with me. I hide my smile as we walk. The way out of the camp is easier than the way in. I don't have to hide for one thing. I walk just in front of Martin while we're in populated areas so he can pass me off as a prisoner he's just caught to anyone who asks and the rest of the time sticking to the shadows takes care of the whole thing.

Max is waiting at the foot of the ladder and watches Martin silence as I climb down.

"Put your hands flat against the nearest wall." I order Martin crisply.

He glares at me but obeys. I pat him down swiftly and leave his weapons and anything I don't recognise with Max.

"Make sure he's out of here before the others wake up." My brother warns out loud. I nod and lead Martin further into the Mall.

As before I open and close the doors to the sewers silently. Our footsteps sound loud on the hard marble floor as we walk to Trudy's room but anyone who's still awake will just think that it's someone stretching their legs or meeting up for a chat.

Trudy is pacing nervously around her room but stops when she sees us. She and Martin stare at one another.

"I'll be in the food court if you need me." I tell Trudy quietly. She nods but doesn't look away from Martin. I leave them to it.

I drum the fingers of one hand lightly on the tabletop as I glance up from my magazine to scan the Mall. I've been sat here all night. I may be an X5 but even I have a boredom threshold and I think I've just reached it.

It's almost two hours past dawn though so some of the others should start to wake up soon.

I'll give Trudy and Martin/Zoot another few minutes alone then I'll have to get him out of here.

I turn back to my magazine then jerk my head up at the sound of footsteps. Lex has just come out of his room. He waves in greeting and starts making his way down the walkway to join me. I swear under my breath then get to my feet and move rapidly to meet him, hoping to cut him off before he reaches the door to Trudy's room.

"What are you doing up do early?" He asks me with a grin.

"Couldn't sleep. Want to get a drink?" I say with a grin of my own. Lex nods and we start toward the food court.

"I've been thinking about what you said, about the way I've been treating Trudy and the baby. With everything that's happening, the Protectors and all, we should stick together. I'm going to apologise to her." He announces as we reach Trudy's doorway.

"She'll still be asleep. Do it at breakfast, let the others see that you support her." I suggest quickly.

"Nah, too touchy-feely for me. I'll do it now." Lex snorts.

I start to say something else to try and stop him but he's already knocked on the doorframe. When there's no answer I make a grab for his arm to steer him on to the food court but he jerks aside the silk hanging in the doorway and steps inside the room. I wince and follow him.

Trudy and Martin/Zoot are curled up under the blankets, both of them still sleeping peacefully. Lex stares down at them then kicks the bed viciously. The two of them wake with a start and stare back at Lex. Trudy shifts her gaze to look pleadingly at me but I can only spread my hands helplessly.

"You've done it now. You and your brat are out of here." Lex tells Trudy in a voice full of pure venom. He turns and storms off.

"Both of you get dressed and meet the rest of us in the food court. I'll try to do some damage control." I say calmly.

Trudy's on the verge of tears of fear and embarrassment and Zoot/Martin squeezes her shoulder reassuringly before nodding at me.

By the time I reach the food court the others have gathered there and Lex has just finished telling them who he found in Trudy's bed. I exchange worried glances with Amber and Bray.

'You'd better get up here. It looks like I might need some extra backup.' I send to Max.

"What do you want to do about it?" Ryan asks his friend.

"He's here as a spy for the Protectors and she's helping him! This time she really has got to go!" Lex tells everyone harshly.

"How's she helping him? It's not like there's anything going on for her to tell him about." Isabel protests.

"But there will be soon! Once we start fighting back we'll be making plans, plans we won't want Zoot or whatever the hell he's calling himself now to know about." Lex replies in a slightly calmer voice.

Footsteps sound and Trudy and Zoot arrive in the food court. Trudy takes Brady from Salene and sits down quietly while Zoot stands next to me.

"I say she's out." Michael speaks up. Trudy blanches and holds Brady tighter to her. Zoot tenses as he sees her distress.

"Well I say she's not and my voice carries a great deal more weight around here than yours." I snap at Michael.

"How did he get here anyway?" Kyle questions in a clear attempt to try and ease the tension. I brace myself for the reaction I'm bound to get before I answer.

"I brought him." I admit quietly. Max touches my shoulder gently in support as he brushes past me into the food court.

"What?! Why?" Lex explodes. The members of the tribe who don't know about this all gape at me.

"You saw how upset Trudy was yesterday. She's my friend and I wanted to help her; so I went to the Protectors' camp, found Zoot and brought him back here to talk to her. I was going to take him back to the Protectors' camp this morning, I hadn't counted on anyone being up this early." I explain. Lex is furious and hurt too. I can see it in his eyes.

"Are you completely out of your mind?! What if he'd taken you or Trudy hostage or used his weapons on the rest of us while we were sleeping?" Maria demands, starting to get upset.

"He doesn't have any weapons on him. He handed them all over to me when he first arrived." Max informs her.

"Who else knew he was here?" Liz asks softly when everyone else is too surprised at Max's contribution to say anything.

Salene, Zandra, Bray and Amber all raise their hands.

"If you make Trudy leave then all of us who knew what was going on have to leave too." Salene tells Lex.

"No, Salene you can't! You can't leave us!" Patsy exclaims tearfully. Jem starts to cry as well.

"No-one is leaving." Isabel tells them firmly.

"No-one except him." Michael adds just as firmly, pointing at Zoot.

"Yeah, get out of here. If you come back then you're a dead man." Lex says flatly.

Zoot sneers at him then moves to the top of the stairs.

"See you around Trudy." He tosses back over his shoulder as he starts to go downstairs.

"Wait." I say suddenly, moving to stand just above him on the stairs. He turns to look back up at me.

"You don't want to join us?" I ask him with a quick look across at Trudy and Brady.

"You have got to be joking. You're a bunch of losers." He answers with quiet scorn.

"We don't have to be. You could help us win. Tell us what the Protectors are up to, if there's going to be another attack like yesterday." I venture.

"Be a spy for you in other words." Zoot translates bluntly. I incline my head in confirmation. "I'll think about it. Give me back my stuff." He orders Max. Max hands over everything he took from Zoot last night and Zoot swaggers off out of the Mall.

There's a tense silence in the food court as we all look at one another. Lex is glaring at me and I wait for his outburst.

"We trusted you! We made you one of our leaders and you turn around and betray us!" He yells suddenly, making most of the others jump.

"How have I betrayed any of you? He wasn't armed, he had no way of communicating with the Protectors and he never left Trudy's room so he had no way of finding out any plans we might have made." I defend myself hastily.

"You brought him here without even letting most of us know about it!" Lex snaps as he senses that I'm winning the others over.

"You would have said no and you would have caused trouble for Trudy because she wanted to see him." I snap back.

"Look, there was no harm done. As long as nothing like this happens again then I don't see that we have anything to worry about." Liz speaks up in a soothing voice.

Most of the others nod and start getting an early breakfast ready. Lex stands in the centre of the food court, glaring at me. I bite my lip as I search for something to say to try and repair our friendship. It's obvious that he's more hurt than angry and is trying to mask it. He shifts his glare to Zandra for a moment before storming out of the food court. Zandra smiles briefly at me before hurrying after him. I sigh as I realise that he must feel he's been betrayed by his semi-girlfriend as well as by one of his friends.

I sink into a chair and drop my head into my hands. Something tells me that this is not going to be one of my better days.


	9. Tribe 9

****

There's a whole universe out there. 

****

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath, Zandera and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the official tribe website. You guys are the best!

****

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do a disclaimer in part one. My bad. Anything you recognise from one of the three shows is not mine and belongs to the creators of the respective programmes. All I can take credit for is the original characters and places.

****

DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

Someone pats me on the shoulder and I look up sharply in time to see Bray sit down next to me.

"Sorry for dragging you and the others into all this. I should have got him out of here earlier." I apologise quietly.

"Don't be stupid. We all agreed to be a part of this last night." Amber scoffs as she sits down in the chair opposite me.

"Amber's right. I'm grateful to you for giving my brother a second chance with Trudy." Bray tells me seriously.

He puts an arm around my shoulders and hugs me to him. I hug him back and he kisses me briefly on the top of my head. The topic of conversation turns to the Protectors as everyone sits down and starts to eat breakfast. Salene is worried about the little ones and thinks that we should move out into the countryside and leave the whole thing behind us. Michael; Isabel; Bray and Amber however all feel that the city is ours and we should be able to stay here if we want to. Where Michael and Isabel are concerned though this is probably due to their confidence in their powers rather than actually caring about where they live.

" I say we should just lie low until we decide what choice to follow. Don't even go outside the Mall unless we have to." Alex becomes the voice of reason after a while.

"Alex is right. We're not getting anywhere by going over and over the same ground." Maria agrees with a small yawn.

"Yeah, besides we'll have to wait until they set up a definite base before we can think about launching an attack." Michael speaks up.

Max, Isabel and I all nod in agreement. Some of the others look a little unsettled at the idea of attacking the Protectors' base.

After a few more minutes of idle chatter people start to drift away from the food court. I go to my bedroom and change into some fresh clothes. I chose my long lilac skirt, my dark purple leather boots and a short sleeved black top that laces up with brown cord at the neck.

My left hand shakes suddenly as I lace up the cord and I glance sharply down at it. I haven't had a seizure since the day before we left the evacuation camp and I have almost managed to fool myself into thinking I've outgrown them. I haven't got any Triptophane with me, it got left back at the camp with the rest of my belongings.

I have a few hours; maybe even a day or two before the actual seizure will start although the shakes will quickly get worse. I go quickly along to Max's room; he's waiting for me by his door; probably alerted by my anxiety through the telepathic connection we share.

"I haven't got any Triptophane." I tell him simply.

"I've only got enough to see me through my next seizure. I was going to go outside in a few days and find some more." My brother admits ruefully.

"Do you want me to go and see if Michael or Isabel have any?" I ask, curling my hand into a fist as it trembles again.

"No, we don't want to risk drawing attention to it. Take the pills I've got left and go back to your room. I'll go outside and raid the nearest chemist." Max answers calmly.

"What will you tell the others? We're meant to stay inside." I point out.

"If any of them see me I'll tell a version of the truth. I'll say that I'm not feeling too good and need some medicine." Max shrugs.

"Better be careful that they don't think you have the Virus then." I joke half-heartedly.

Max hands me the bottle of Triptophane, gives me a quick hug then shoos me back to my room while he heads off down the stairs. I swallow a handful of pills and curl up on my bed with a book. To my relief the shaking stops after a few minutes and I relax a little.

"Rhiannon, are you in there?" Trudy calls through from the walkway outside.

"Yeah. Come on in." I call back.

Trudy comes in carrying Brady in her arms and sits down on the edge of my bed. She reaches out one hand and strokes my hair.

"I guess you didn't get much sleep last night since you had to keep watch in the food court." She says gently. I nod, grateful for an excuse to stay in bed.

"It was really good of you to help me like that especially since we didn't get off to a great start." Trudy continues.

"That's in the past. There's no point in worrying about it now." I smile at her, pushing myself into a sitting position.

"I want to say sorry for what I said to you when you came to talk to me about the others giving me a second chance." Trudy apologises.

"I'm sorry too. I wasn't exactly nice to you that day either." I admit.

With that we laugh and hug each other even as part of me cringes at how corny the whole thing is. There's a knock on the doorframe of my bedroom and the two of us break apart to look across at the new arrival. Zandra is leaning against the doorframe, regarding us with one raised eyebrow.

"How's Lex?" Trudy asks slyly. Zandra suddenly blushes bright red.

"I'm guessing that your relationship is back on." I say with a grin, making her blush even more.

"Yeah, I guess so. I had to apologise first for not telling him about Zoot, soothe his injured male pride and all that." She says wryly with a slight snort.

"If all you really had to do was apologise then why were you in his room for so long?" Trudy asks with a smirk.

"You've never heard of the term 'kiss and make up'?" Zandra replies with a smirk of her own. I snigger and Trudy pushes my shoulder.

"How did things actually go with Martin?" Amber asks suddenly as she appears in the doorway.

"Quite good. He asked me to go and live with him. I said no, of course, because I knew that you guys would never forgive me if I joined the Protectors." Trudy answers.

"Do you think that he'll come back to see you and Brady again?" I ask gently. Trudy hesitates then nods firmly.

"Did he tell you how he ended up with the Protectors in the first place?" Zandra asks after a moment, reaching out to tickle Brady's side.

"Yeah. He was wounded after the Demon Dogs attacked him and ended up going to an abandoned farm just outside the city to hide while his wounds healed. A Protector scouting team found him and took him back to the mother ship to be looked after. Tao went to see him and told him that he could be a slave or he could join the Protectors but they wouldn't let him come back here in case he warned everyone that the Protectors were going to attack." Trudy explains.

As she talks I become aware that my arm is shaking slightly again and my left leg is starting to tingle. I lie down once more and pull the bedclothes up to my chin in the hope of hiding the shakes.

"What's the matter?" Amber asks suddenly, drawing the attention of the other two across to me.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just a little tired." I answer at once.

"Then why are both your arms shaking like that?" Amber enquires, drawing the bedclothes to one side. I'll have to tell them some version of the truth.

"I have seizures every now and then. It's a family thing. I have shakes like this for a few hours before the actual seizures begin. Max has gone to get me some medicine for it." I tell them calmly.

"How long have you had these seizures?" Zandra asks, sitting down next to Trudy on the bed.

"All of my life." I shrug.

"Must be a pain if it happens while you're on a date." Zandra muses thoughtfully.

"Zandra!" Amber snaps at her. Zandra holds up her hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Do you want us to leave you to rest?" Trudy asks, ignoring the other two.

"No, it's alright. It's quite nice to have the company." I tell her with a smile.

Trudy starts to stroke my hair in an oddly maternal manner. It's soothing and I start to feel drowsy. Amber pulls the rocking chair over to the bed and sits down. She stretches out an arm and pats my hand then starts to rub my back. I don't know if it's a side effect of the shakes; because I had no sleep last night or because of the atmosphere around me but I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open.

The other three seem to sense this because they start to talk quietly among themselves. Trudy continues to stroke my hair and Amber carries on rubbing my back. My eyelids feel heavier and heavier and I drift off to sleep.

When I wake up again its morning. That much I can tell by the refreshed feeling in my body. The shakes are now much worse. There's a bottle of Triptophane on top of the chest of drawers beside my bed. Max dropped them off while I was asleep I guess. I grab the bottle and swallow a few handfuls of pills.

They do nothing to stop the shaking and the first convulsions hit within minutes. I always have flashbacks during my convulsions, memories of Manticore or of things connected to it mostly.

Smashing through a glass window and dropping to the snow covered ground the night of our escape. Sitting cuddled up to Ska as David told us all one of his stories. Going up to the High Place above our barracks at night to see the stars. Running through the woods with a gun tucked under my arm on a training mission. Nicolas sitting on my bed and stroking my head as I have a seizure during the night. Jack falling to the floor in front of Lydecker in the throes of a seizure and being dragged away.

The convulsions trail off and I sigh as my eyes close and I drift off back to sleep.

"Wake up, wake up Rhiannon! It's breakfast time." Jem squeals, tugging on my arm to get my attention.

I briefly remember tugging on Zack's arm to wake him one night at Manticore because I was afraid and wanted him to reassure me.

"Go on ahead Jem. I'll change into some clean clothes and follow you." I open my eyes and smile at the girl.

She flashes me a broad smile in return then dashes back out into the main Mall.

I keep the dark purple leather boots and change into a pair of shiny black trousers and a dark purple satin v-neck fitted top with elbow length sleeves that hang in folds like wings. I flap my arms in front of my mirror and giggle slightly at the effect.

"Very gothic." Lex remarks snidely as I enter the food court.

"I like it." Trudy says firmly as I sit down at the table she and Amber are sharing.

"Are you feeling better today?" Amber asks as Salene puts a bowl of fruit salad in front of me. I smile at her then turn to Amber.

"I'm fine now, thanks." I reply simply, aware that my brothers and sister have turned their attention to our conversation.

"What was wrong with you?" Ryan asks.

"She has seizures sometimes, it runs in her family." Zandra informs him, and the rest of the tribe, before I can stop her.

"So do you three get them too?" Lex questions my siblings.

"Yeah. We've had them since we were little." Michael replies with a quick glare at me.

"Your parents must have been worried about you." Salene speaks up gently.

"They were but they died a few years ago." Isabel answers icily.

The others take the hint and drop the topic.

"What are we going to do about the Protectors?" Bray enquires after a moment.

"What CAN we do other than keep our heads down? They have ships, weapons, slaves now to do their dirty work for them. Besides, they're adults; they're bigger and stronger than we are. We don't stand a chance against them." Lex shrugs bitterly.

"That's your big plan? We should skulk away in here until they've taken over everywhere else and come looking for us?" Amber demands.

"What about the other city tribes? If we all band together then we'll outnumber these 'Protectors' easily." I suggest.

"Don't be stupid, the tribes all hate each other!" Lex sneers at me. Trudy glares at him then gives me an encouraging smile.

"Only because they saw each other as the enemy. Now they have a common enemy." I point out calmly.

"You've got something there. If someone could persuade them to join together we'd have our own army." Bray says, nodding at me.

"I wonder who could persuade them?" I muse then turn slightly in my chair to look at Amber.

She raises her eyebrows at me then her jaw drops as she realises that the others are all looking at her as well.

"Why me?!" She squeaks.

"After the way you turned all the tribe leaders against Tao, they'll listen to you more than they would a stranger." I explain.

"You were with me, they know you're in the same tribe as me, why can't you do it?" Amber demands at once.

"I can't speak to the Locos for starters. Ebony thinks that me and Bray are dating, she's more likely to try and kill me than to listen to me." I remind her with a grin.

"Why does Ebony think that you and Bray are dating?" Trudy asks at once with raised eyebrows.

"We can have storytime later. Let's get this sorted out first." Lex responds flatly. I put one hand on Trudy's arm when she tenses up.

"I think you should be the one to speak to the tribe leaders Amber. Rhiannon and I will go with you." Bray says suddenly.

Amber stares across the food court at him for a minute then nods firmly. Bray flashes her a smile of approval then turns serious.

"The Ghosts appear to be the most peaceful of the larger tribes. Our best bet is to start with them and work our way up." He suggests.

"I wonder how high you'll manage to get with this before you get some sense beaten into you." Lex says flatly before abruptly getting up and walking away.

"I'm guessing that you won't be coming with us then." I can't stop myself from calling after him.

"When should we leave?" Amber asks nervously.

"Now. All the tribes will be awake and we need to set things in motion before the Protectors' hold on the city gets too strong to oppose." Bray answers before I can and I nod my agreement with his words.

Amber puffs out her cheeks with a sigh then nods decisively and gets to her feet. I pop the last few pieces of fruit into my mouth and follow her example.

Max is against the idea. He doesn't think that I should risk myself or risk exposing my powers for something that isn't really our problem.

'If things get bad we can always get Zack to move us to another planet.' He tells me silently.

'We haven't even heard from Zack since he sent us here, fool, so how are we going to contact him? Besides, these are my friends, I'm not going to just abandon them' I send back sharply.

Max sends me a mental shrug then falls silent. I roll my eyes at him then join Bray and Amber and the three of us duck under the grids and head outside.

I haven't been out in the city during the day since we were sent off to the evacuation camps. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this. The streets are completely deserted and even with my advanced hearing I can't make out the sound of anyone.

Amber shivers and the three of us move closer together as we walk down the street.

"The tribes must be terrified if none of them are even looking for food." Bray says quietly.

"If they're all this scared then will they agree to help us with the Protectors?" Amber asks.

That's a good point and I chew on the tip of my thumb as I consider it.

"All we can do is try." Bray shrugs.

Amber sets her jaw and nods in determination. I grin in admiration as I watch her then the two of us link arms as we continue walking.

"Wait!" A yell from behind us makes us all jump. I turn to see Lex jogging towards us.

"Changed your mind then?" I sneer as he joins us.

"If you run into trouble Bray won't be enough muscle to deal with it." Lex snaps.

I smirk at the irony in that statement. Lex sees the smirk and obviously thinks I'm laughing at Bray because he grins slightly.

"Let's get out of here before any Protectors show up." Bray says calmly.

"Where are the Ghosts based?" Amber asks as the four of us start walking again.

"Sector 20. It's just down this way." Bray answers.

The silence is definitely unnerving. Before the Virus hit the city was always full of vehicles and people of all ages during the daytime. There was always lots of noise, engines, people talking with their friends or bartering with shopkeepers or arguing with people who had bumped into them.

It's weird to see all the garbage and graffiti everywhere as well, seeing how neat the city used to be.

Our footsteps sound loud on the ground and I keep my body tense, expecting some Protectors to hear us and come running. Amber wraps her arms defensively around her body as we walk and the two guys are also showing signs of unease, constantly glancing down side streets and up at the windows of surrounding buildings.

I hear screams coming from a distance ahead of us and weapons being fired. Since the Protectors appear to be the only ones here with weapons I think we're too late for the Ghosts.

"Do you hear that?" Amber asks sharply after a minute or two.

"Yeah. It's coming from the Ghosts' headquarters." Bray answers gravely.

"I'm going to go take a look." Lex says impulsively.

"I'll go with you." I speak up.

Lex opens his mouth to say something but I push past him and jog down the street before he can get the words out. I follow the noise until I turn the corner into the street the Ghosts' headquarters is on.

I stay in the shadows of the building on the corner and watch the scene before me. The Protectors have a large transport speeder parked in the middle of the street and are loading kids dressed all in white onto it.

"So much for the Ghosts helping us." Lex mutters as he catches up with me.

"Is there any way we can help them?" Bray asks as he and Amber join us.

"I don't think so, there's too many Protectors around and they're all armed." I answer.

"What do we do now?" Amber asks as she watches all the activity.

"Try the next tribe who are likely to help us." Bray tells her quietly.

"The Protectors are almost finished with the Ghosts. Let's get out of here before one of them spots us." Lex advises.

The four of us back around the corner until we're out of sight then run through the streets until we're out of hearing range.

"Who do we go to now?" I ask Bray quietly, glancing around the street.

"Um…the, uh, Vampires I guess. They have a scary image but they've never been interested in fighting the other tribes. We should be able to convince them to help us." He replies after a moment's thought.

"Where are they based?" Lex demands at once.

"The other side of the city, over in sector 36." Bray answers.

"Let's get going then. I don't want to still be out here when it starts getting dark." Amber speaks up.

I can't help but agree with her. If the streets being this quiet is unnerving during the day the silence will be full on creepy after dark. Not that I'll ever say anything like that aloud. Soldiers don't know fear after all.

Amber and I link arms as we walk and the boys go slightly ahead so they can warn us if they see any Protectors. I'd do a better job of spotting any trouble but since I can't tell the three of them about the whole X5 thing there's no point in arguing the matter.

We're about half way there when more screams and weapons fire breaks out from only a few streets ahead of us.

"Who are they attacking now?" Amber asks in dismay.

"I don't think they're the ones doing the attacking. The screams sound more angry than anything else." I say thoughtfully.

"One of the tribes is attacking the Protectors? This I have to see!" Lex exclaims.

He goes running off towards the commotion. I look at Bray and Amber then follow him, being careful not to run faster than a 'normal' person. After I hear the other two start to follow me.

Lex has found a looted shop level with what's happening and is looking out of a window in a back room. I join him quietly.

The same transport speeder that I saw earlier is parked in the middle of the street. The Protectors who were driving it are fighting some of the city tribes. The Clowns are there, so are the Raiders and the Demon Dogs as well as an assortment of city kids who don't appear to be in a tribe.

The Protectors are armed with guns of some kind but the kids are darting around so quickly that they can't fire their weapons for fear of hitting another Protector.

The kids have stones and heavy pieces of wood and if you get hit in the face with those it puts you out of action as effectively as if you'd been shot.

"I think our side's winning." I remark. Lex nods silently. Amber and Bray are behind me so I don't see their responses.

Whenever a Protector steps away from the speeder a group of kids surround him or her and beat them to the ground. The Protectors can't get into the back of the speeder because that's where the captured Ghosts are and they'll run for it as soon as the doors are opened. They can't get into the front because that's where the majority of the Demon Dogs are clustered. It looks like a few of them are inside the driver's cab and are trying to figure out how to turn on the engines.

"If the Protectors had any brains some of them would sneak around the other side of the speeder and get those Demon Dogs out of the front bit." I note after a moment.

"Whose side are you on?" Lex grins at me.

Even as he speaks the engines roar to life and we both cheer. All the kids around the speeder run off down various side streets and alleys. The Protectors yell and try to climb onto the speeder but it quickly moves off down the street and around the corner.

"Quick. This way." Lex says suddenly, leading the way back out of the shop.

"Where are we going? We'll never catch up with it." Amber protests as we run up the road.

I'd do it easily but there's no real point in admitting that so once again I keep silent.

"Yes we will. They were heading towards Birch Avenue. This road will bring us out at one end of it. Besides, even if we don't catch up with them we should get out of this area before any Protectors see us." Lex points out.

Sure enough we come out just ahead of the speeder. The four of us stay behind some boxes and overflowing garbage cans and watch the speeder silently.

"I've just thought of something." Amber gasps suddenly.

"What's that?" I ask.

"The Demon Dogs keep kids from other tribes as slaves. What if they didn't take the speeder because they want to free the slaves but because they want the kids for themselves?" She worries.

"In that case we'll just have to follow the speeder and come up with a way of helping the kids inside." Bray says firmly.

"Shut up!" Lex hisses fiercely at the three of us.

The speeder stops about a hundred meters down the road from us and three Demon Dogs get out of the driver's cab. They're arguing amongst themselves as they go around to the back of the speeder. Two of them want to keep the captured kids as slaves for themselves but the third one must be one of the leaders of their tribe because he overrules them.

He opens the doors at the back of the speeder and jerks his thumb over his shoulder then steps back out of the way.

There's a moment's pause then kids clamber out. It's mostly Ghosts with a few Raiders as well as five kids who aren't dressed like any of the city tribes.

"What do we do now?" Amber asks.

"I think we should still try to talk to the other tribes. At least today shows that they'll fight together." Bray tells her.

"Do you still want to talk to the Ghosts first?" I ask him.

"Yes. We'd better do it now while they're still off-guard and frightened. We want them to think that the only way to stop something like this from happening again is to join forces with the other tribes. Besides, by this time tomorrow they'll have moved their base and we'll have to search the whole city for them." He explains.

As we walk back along to the Ghosts' headquarters I think Amber; Lex and I are all a little surprised at how cold-blooded Bray can be when he sets his mind to it. I'm also a little surprised by the fact that he sounded more than a little like Zack. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

I can hear the noise the Ghosts are making long before we reach the street their headquarters are on. They don't know whether to be angry or terrified. The general consensus seems to be for them to leave the city as soon as possible.

Amber's going to have to think on her feet if she wants to get them to stay and work with us.


End file.
